Bonds of Solitude
by Eloquent Enigma of Fate
Summary: Ichiruki AU-When forced to move back to his hometown, 17 year-old Ichigo Kurosaki has to attend a new high school where he meets a very intriguing raven-haired student. What will happen when the unpopular 'princess' befriends the hot new transfer student?
1. New Student

**(A/N)**

Hello everyone, This is the first fanfic and first story I have ever written so if it sucks, its not on purpose.

Any constructive criticism is welcome. If you don't like something tell me, don't be afraid to hurt my feelings.

This is just something I've decided to try to pass the time. School is really easy for me at the moment so I will have the time to finishing this story; as is my plan.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it. I never realized just how much work goes into writing a story until now. -_-

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

* * *

><p>Rukia Kuchiki awoke to the sound of her alarm clock blaring with the glare of the morning sun instantly blinding her as she sat up. "Argh, stupid clock, why can't I just sleep all day." As she slowly got out of bed she let out a deep sigh. "Time for another dull day."<p>

It seems like it's been awhile since she's had a day that wasn't dull. The truth is she would give anything to escape this solitude she called life. Everyday it was the same old routine. No room for fun or excitement, no crevice for happiness or joy to seep in, no reason to enjoy life.

As she walked across her room she stole a glance out her window. It was a nice sunny day, although considering it was the middle of November it is still quite cold; not that it mattered. She could care less what the weather was like; it couldn't bring her happiness.

Yes happiness; she had forgotten that word even existed in her vocabulary. Rukia learned a long time ago just how cold the world could be. Her solution to forget this was to become even colder.

As Rukia glided over to her dresser to acquire fresh clothes for the day, she ungracefully tripped over a stray pile of books that had been strewn across her floor.

Man, she really needed to clean the place. Her bed, which lay directly across from the window hadn't been made in over a week, nor had the sheets been washed. Her dresser, which lay adjacent to the bed, was covered in several articles of clothing as well as many other knickknacks she never used. The place was a total mess.

Opening one of the drawers she plucked out a fresh school uniform and began changing. Once finished, she glanced at the mirror and scanned over her petite figure.

Rukia was a small girl, although she refused to accept the fact that she was much shorter than the majority of the population; she was just tiny, not short. Her hair, which came down to just below shoulder length, was black, and had the texture of silk while her eyes where a deep violet and quite big. All in all she was just an average teenage girl, although lacking certain 'assets,' she did have a slightly curvy and women-like physique.

After running a brush though her hair, and sorting out some of her possessions, she walked briskly down the stairs to have a quick breakfast then leave for school.

"Good morning, Byakuya Nii-Sama." She greeted, trying to be as cheerful as possible to her brother who was waiting at the kitchen table.

"You're going to be late." Replied Byakuya in a mundane voice. She inwardly sighed, '_that's about as good a greeting you'll get from her cold brother, aka the Ice King.'_

Quickly grabbing her breakfast Rukia made her way out the door and onto the street. Looking over to the house next door she noticed a large moving van that was full of boxes and furniture. '_That's strange_,' she thought. '_I've never seen the people who own that house_.' It hadn't been sold to someone else because she never saw a for-sale sign. '_Where did they move from? And how come they never sold their house if they weren't living in it for so long?'_

Choosing not to think at the moment she began walking down the street towards school. '_Today is going to be another long day of nothing,_' she inwardly groaned. '_Why do I have to go through this?'_

* * *

><p>"Argh, why do I have to go through this?" Ichigo complained as he unenthusiastically pulled boxes from the moving truck and dragged them into the Kurosaki household. It had been exactly eight years since seventeen year-old Ichigo Kurosaki stepped foot in this house. The memories that it brought back hurt more than the pile boxes that had just fallen on his head.<p>

"God fucking dammit," cursed the young man as he wobbled back up to a standing position. "I hate this place already."

He hadn't wanted to move back to this town and he was still absolutely livid with his father for doing it. Although it's not like he had a choice, times were tough these days. It had been getting too expensive to pay taxes on two properties and he had just lost his job at the hospital in their old town. Ichigo never understood why his father never sold this dump. '_Must be all those damn memories' _he mused.

As if on cue, Isshin Kurosaki appeared as he ran out the front door acting all hyper and crazy as usual.

"Ichigo my boy, don't look so down. If you scowl any harder you'll scare away all the pretty ladies." As if it were possible the boy scowled harder.

"Pssh, like I care." Ignoring his idiot father, Ichigo continued to unpack their belongings. Looking up at the place he would now be calling home, he read the sign that hung against the siding. The sign had the words 'Kurosaki Clinic' painted on in big blue letters. He sighed. '_This is not how I wanted to spend my morning.'_

The house itself was quite large and could easily accommodate his father Isshin, his two sisters Karin and Yuzu as well as himself. The main building, where they would be living was two stories and contained three bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and a family room. Sitting adjacent to the house was an addition where his father ran a small clinic as a doctor.

As he completed his task of bringing all his belongings inside the house, Ichigo heard the chipper voice of his crazy father cut through the silence.

"Ichigo, hurry up and get changed, you'll be late for your first day at school." '_Damn.' _He let out a long aggravated sigh. '_What a nuisance.' _

He expeditiously makes his way up the stairs and turns to enter his old room from when he was a kid. Grabbing his new school uniform that lay neatly on his bed he began to change.

'_What kind of school has a uniform like this,'_ Ichigo scoffs while eyeing the pair of beige pants and white dress shirt. '_Karakura High School,' _he chuckles. '_I think I hate this place already. Guess I'll add it to the list.' _He inwardly sighs. Once done dressing he turns to look at himself in the mirror.

Ichigo is quite a handsome young man. He is quite tall and very muscular yet slim with spiky orange hair that slightly droops down over his eyes which are a dark honey amber. Girls always go crazy over him but he doesn't pay them any attention. They all come up to him and want to date him without knowing a thing about him. How ridiculous.

Satisfied with his appearance he quickly walks out of his room and glides down the stairs. After grabbing a piece of toast for a quick breakfast he makes his way out the front door. Looking across the street he notices a huge house with a very expensive car parked in the driveway. '_I don't remember this house ever being here. I wonder who lives there. Probably some rich jackass,' _he scoffs.

Stopping his train of random thoughts Ichigo begins to walk in the direction of his new school. Letting out a deep sigh he wonders why his life seems to hold so little joy.

* * *

><p>After a brisk walk to school, Rukia grabbed her books and quickly headed down the hall to her class so as to not attract unwanted attention. Just when she thought she would make it there without incident a huge arm wrapped around her waist and yanked her back harshly.<p>

"Hey there Rukia, just where do you think your going?" Came a deep voice from the man behind her. His foul breath could be felt traveling down her spine as he spoke.

"I need to get to class, now let me go Renji!" screeched Rukia as she struggled to get free.

"Now, now, you'll have plenty of time to go to class later." Renji replied in an intimidating voice. "Right now I think you should come with me and have a little fun."

Rukia felt like gagging. Renji Abarai was the self-proclaimed 'toughest badass around' and also the most disgusting, and most unpleasant guy she has ever had the displeasure of meeting. The best description of him Rukia could come up with, resembled that of a monster. He had an insanely huge body that was covered in tribal tattoos with long red hair that he had tied up in a ponytail. If those things alone weren't enough for Rukia to want to stay away from him, that fact that he seemed to get some sick satisfaction out of hurting her made her wish she could disappear.

"I have no intention of going anywhere with you, now unhand me this instant." Came the immediate reply in a voice so cold it felt like the room temperature dropped a few degrees.

Renji was having none of it. "Why should I?" He spat out in a voice just as cold. "I'd prefer if you stayed." He breathed with venom dripping from every word as he dragged her down an empty hallway.

Rukia was now in a state of panic. Her and Renji were now in a secluded area of the hall and he was wearing an evil smirk as if he had some obscene surprise planned for her.

"Let me go dammit." Rukia screamed as she thrashed around trying to break free from his iron grip. As soon as she saw a hand reach under her skirt she lost all coherent thought and reacted by planting a firm smack to the side of the offenders face using the back of her hand.

"Ahhh, you fucking bitch." Renji yelled at the top of his lungs while slightly loosening his grip on her arm. Seizing the opportunity Rukia quickly yanked her arm out of his grasp and immediately ran for the safety of her classroom.

As she ran she could hear Renji fuming down the hall. "I'll get you back for this bitch, you just wait." He seethed with a murderous look in his eyes. '_No one smacks Renji Abarai in the face and __gets away with it… no one.'_

Rukia entered her class as soon as the bell rang and let out a relieved sigh. She slowly made her way over to her desk where she quickly sat and took out her textbooks as well as a small sketchpad. She would often doodle during class because she found most subjects extremely vapid.

Without a word she turned to stare out the window watching the clouds as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

She was pulled out of her daze when the teacher walked in and cleared her throat, readying herself to address the class.

"Good morning students." Spoke the teacher in a merry tone. "Today I'd like to introduce a new student who will be joining our class for the duration of the year."

'_New student? Maybe today won't be so dull after all. I wonder if we'll get along. Maybe we could be friends.'_ That thought vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Who ever this new person was, they certainly wouldn't want to talk to her of all people. Rukia was, for the most part, invisible. The only person who paid attention to her was Renji, and he just needed someone to step on. '_Maybe if I wasn't so cold to people I might have friends,' _she mused. That thought disappeared just as quickly. '_Like that'll ever happen.'_

Once the teacher had finished her announcement a very tall and muscular yet slim boy with spiky orange hair stepped into the room. As soon as this occurred, the entire female population, minus Rukia, and some men started giggling and whispering to each other while watching him avidly.

Rukia knew what they were saying without even having to hear them, she inwardly groaned. '_How can people be so shallow? Just because he's in good shape doesn't mean you should throw yourself at him.'_

"Why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself." Said the teacher. Effectively stopping the hushed conversations taking place throughout the room.

Making his way further into the classroom, the boy stopped halfway from the opposing wall and turned to face the class.

"My name's Ichigo Kurosaki, I'm seventeen years old. I hate a lot of things and I don't like anything in particular. Also, I wouldn't call it a dream but I do have a certain goal in mind. I want to gain the strength to protect and the power to crush whatever gets in my way."

Once he had finished speaking, and all of the girls stopped drooling over their desks, the teacher began speaking, breaking the silence.

"Well students why don't you welcome Kurosaki-san to our class?" After a very cheerful welcome from the female population and a simple 'hey' from the males, Ichigo made his way to the seat he had been assigned earlier which was situated next to the window.

Sitting down he quickly pulled out his books and let out a long quiet sigh. He has only been here for ten minutes and he has already confirmed his hatred for this place. '_Why do I get the feeling that I won't have a second alone without someone pestering me all day.' _

Ichigo never understood why so many people seemed to take such an interest in his life, especially the girls. '_It's none of their business' _he fumed. '_Why can't they just leave me alone?' _He always hated it when people would come up to him and start talking without actually saying anything of actual substance. Small talk was useless in Ichigo's mind, it only served to waist more of his time. He didn't have anything to discuss with these people so why should he be bothered to talk to them.

Letting out another sigh of exhaustion Ichigo slumped over in his seat and set his eyes on the board; readying himself for the long day ahead.

* * *

><p>After class had begun, while everyone was busy working, Rukia found herself glancing quite frequently at the new student sitting in the desk next to hers. '<em>Ichigo,' <em>she inwardly chuckled. '_What a strange name, and even stranger hair color.'_

Examining him closer, she could see why so many girls went crazy over him when he walked in the room, he would be quite handsome if it weren't for the seemingly perpetual scowl that adorned his face.

Other than the fact that he seemed to be very popular with the student body; Ichigo appeared to be very similar to Rukia in nature. He acted calmly, and was cold to everyone, making calculated movements that were efficient yet elegant.

She was surprised when he had simply ignored the group of giggling schoolgirls. They were all looking at him as if they wanted to become his harem while he continued to work without sparing them a single glance. '_He's probably used to the attention,'_ she mused. Deciding that she had been staring at him long enough, Rukia pulled her eyes back to her desk and began to work silently.

After a few hours of diligently working on her homework, she felt a large hand gently tap her on the shoulder. Letting an audible yelp escape between her lips, she turned to see who had disturbed her unusually serene mentality. When she saw whom it was her breath caught in her throat.

Once he had her full attention, a strained smile crossed the boys face.

"Hey can I borrow a pen? Mine kinda ran out of ink." Ichigo said with a questioning look as he patiently waited for a response. He hated trying to be friendly to people.

While looking into his intense amber eyes, Rukia replied in a shaky voice.

"Ah s-sure." She stuttered, as she fumbled through her pencil case trying to find the desired item.

"H-here you go." She said while handing the object over to boy, taking great care to avoid his piercing gaze.

Seeming to notice how uncomfortable she was, Ichigo quickly grabbed the pen out of her grasp while sparing another quick glance at her face.

He was taken aback when his gaze traveled to her eyes. He hadn't noticed before that they were such a unique color. He almost found himself drowning in an ocean of dark violet before he was able to collect his thoughts and mutter a "thank you."

'_That was strange,'_ Ichigo thought idly. Something about this girl made him want to know more about her. When he was looking into her eyes it was almost like he could see into her soul. He also noticed earlier how she was the only girl who wasn't drooling over her desk when he walked in. Maybe this was one person he might be able to talk to without wanting to jump off a cliff.

After letting out an amused chuckle, he opened his mouth, preparing to speak to the girl sitting next to him.

"What's your name?" He asked in a conversational tone.

'_Huh, he wants to know my name?' _Rukia was confused. Ichigo didn't look the kind of guy who would make small talk. Actually, if the fact that he hadn't talked to anyone besides her during that last two hours was any indicator, it looked like he tried wall himself off from everyone. '_I wonder __why he's being so friendly to me.' _

Figuring she would find out the answer to that question eventually anyway, she decided to make an effort and be friendly as well. Something about him made Rukia want to get to know more about him. Snapping out of her thoughts, Rukia turned to address him.

"Rukia Kuchiki." Stated the girl shyly.

Once she had finished speaking her name their conversation was interrupted as the bell rung signaling the start of lunch.

"Well, Rukia, I guess I'll see ya around." Ichigo breathed as he gathered his things and quickly made his way out the door, leaving Rukia to ponder what just happened.

'_What the hell just happened?'_ Rukia, as if possible, was now even more confused. How could this guy make her transform into a totally different person with just one look. If it had been anyone else, she would have told whomever it was to get their own damn pen. When she looked into his eyes it was almost like she could see what he was thinking. They were like a window that peered into his mind. He was… interesting to say the least. Maybe I've found someone I can actually communicate with, without wanting to rip out their throat.

Yes, Rukia could be violent at times, but only when the situation called for it. Despite her size and appearance she was quite tough, she _had_ put up with Renji for all these years. '_Augh._' Just the thought of the guy made her want to vomit. Today he had been quite aggressive. Usually he just teased her and made fun of her, that she could just ignore without retaliation. But molesting her in a hallway was _**not**_ going to happen. Rukia cringed when she remembered the look he had in his eyes when she had hit him. The words he had breathed in a murderous tone echoed through her mind. '_I'll get you back for this bitch, you just wait.'_

Rukia didn't know how he was going to get back at her and she didn't want to find out either. Grabbing her things she walked towards the door. '_No sense in dwelling on it,' _she mused.

Steering her mind in another direction she wondered where Ichigo had went off to in such a rush. '_He almost looked panicked,' _she laughed, walking out the door. To engrossed in her own thoughts, Rukia never noticed the large figure that loomed behind her.

* * *

><p>Slumping over next to a large tree in the school courtyard, Ichigo struggled to catch his breath. He had barely escaped the mob of schoolgirls that had been chasing him down the hall. Luckily for him, the entire courtyard was left vacant because of the cold winter weather.<p>

He let out a tired groan as he fell back against the tree and sat down; pulling out his bento he began to eat quietly in the tranquil space. At least he met one interesting person today.

'_Rukia Kuchiki,' _he thought idly. '_I wonder where she is.' _

At first Ichigo thought she was probably somewhere inside eating with her friends, but then he started to wonder if she even had friends. She seemed to be a lot like him in the respect that she appeared to wall herself off from everyone. They had both just sat quietly in their seats working diligently all morning. He also found it quite strange how she had stuttered and spoke in an almost choked voice. She didn't look like the type of person to stumble over words, in fact, Rukia looked quite refined, although fairly short.

Realizing that the majority of his thoughts were centered on the girl he had just met, Ichigo decided to think about his current situation instead.

Karakura Town was definitely _**not **_where he wanted to be right now. Although he didn't have anywhere he _wanted_ to be either, unless 'any where but here' was a place. It wasn't the town or the people that he didn't like; in fact he really liked this town a lot. The things that he hated were the memories that this place brought back. They weren't bad memories though, in fact the majority of them were good, it was just ever since 'that day,' they became too painful to think about.

Fighting the unshed tears that where brimming under his eyes, Ichigo began to pack up his unfinished lunch and head inside. Slowly making his way up onto his feet, he started walking towards the building.

He stopped abruptly when he heard a sharp cry of pain break through the cold winter air. His body was frozen. _'Why does that voice sound familiar?'_

* * *

><p>Rukia walked cheerfully down the hall. With no real destination she wandered aimlessly through the school. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this content, although she wasn't entirely sure why she felt this way begin with. Maybe it was because someone actually seemed to <em>want<em> to talk to her.

Most people saw Rukia as some condescending 'princess' who thought she was too good to associate with them; which of course wasn't true. She didn't think she was better than any of the students here just because her bank account was well endowed; she just had nothing to say to them.

Even when she did put the effort into being friendly, they all just ignored her, not wanting to be her 'slaves'. It's not like she was a very friendly person anyway. She wasn't sure if she was even capable of smiling anymore; ever since 'that day,' she lost all her reasons to smile.

Trying to quickly think of something else before she started to openly cry in the middle of the hall, her thoughts turned to the boy she had met this morning.

'_Ichigo Kurosaki.' _The name rolled off her tongue with ease. '_I wonder where he is.'_ She assumed that he didn't have any friends seeing as this was his first day here. '_Maybe he'll let me eat lunch with him.'_

As Rukia was walking down the hall leading to the courtyard in her search for the orange-haired student, a hand reached out and grabbed her by the arm, violently dragging her out the door. When she got over the initial shock and was able to get a good look at her attacker, she stopped breathing.

Renji Abarai was staring down at her with a dark gleam in his eyes; he looked absolutely livid. After pulling her into a closed off corner of the courtyard, he spoke with so much venom dripping from his words Rukia thought he might grow a pair of fangs and develop a forked tongue.

"Did ya miss me?"

Rukia could not recall a time when she felt more frightened than she was right now. She didn't know what he wanted and she wasn't planning on hanging around long enough to find out. She needed to leave; _**now.**_

"Let go." Rukia pleaded as she struggled to break free from his grasp. He was gripping her arm so tight it felt like it would snap in half.

Renji let out a deep chuckle. "What would be the fun in that? You didn't think I'd just let you get away with hitting me like that did you?"

Moving his free hand, he went to grab Rukia's bento that she had been holding and threw it against the dirt; it's contents becoming strewn across the ground. Then, reaching his hand behind her head, he grabbed her tightly by the hair.

"I think it's about time I taught you a lesson."

Without another word Renji yanked the girl up, suspending her from her hair for a few seconds. Rukia let out a high-pitched scream. It felt like half of her hair had been ripped from her head.

Fighting back tears she attempted to break free once again, aiming a kick directly at his man hood. Unfortunately for her, he had anticipated this and caught her foot with the hand that had been gripping her arm, leaving his other hand wrapped tightly in her hair.

"I thought that would have taught you a lesson about fighting back." Renji scoffed. "Apparently I'll have to use other methods to help you understand."

Pinning Rukia against the wall, Renji's face formed a wicked smile. As his hand slowly traveled up her thigh she couldn't stop the tears from falling.

Just when she thought this would become the worst day of her life, a heavy masculine voice broke through the silence.

"Oi, what the fuck do you think you're doing."

Looking directly at the orange-haired student who had just arrived, Rukia spoke in a choked voice.

"Ichigo." She breathed. "Get out of here." This was not good. Renji was the type of guy who would beat the crap out of someone just for looking at him the wrong way. Rukia didn't need him to help her, not if it meant that he would end up in a hospital bed.

"Run before he decides hurt you too."

"Like hell I will." Ichigo seethed. "Who the hell are you?" He spat, addressing Renji. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. Was this guy trying to molest her? Was she… crying?

"Renji Abarai." Came the reply. "I haven't seen you around before. You got a name fruit-head?"

If looks could kill, Renji would be six feet under ground at the moment. Ichigo was wearing one of the deadliest expressions Rukia has ever seen. He looked like he was ready to commit first-degree murder.

"Yeah I got a name." The boy stated in a thick voice, laced with resolve. "I'm the guy whose gonna kick the shit outta you."

Before Renji could react, Ichigo lunged at him, forcing him to let go of Rukia in-order to dodge. He breathed a sigh of relief, Rukia was safe, but he wasn't done yet, not even close.

As Renji was stumbling backwards away from him, Ichigo seized the opportunity and planted a fist directly into his nose. A satisfying 'crunch' was heard as the recipient howled in pain.

"AHHH, you fucking bastard, you broke my nose." Renji yelled at an ear-shattering volume. If Rukia thought he looked angry before, right now, he looked furious.

"Duh, that was the point." Ichigo replied coolly as he cracked his knuckles staring down at his opponent. He had no idea what this guy was about to do to Rukia, but whatever it was, he was going to make sure it wouldn't be physically possible for him to try it again. Who did this guy think he was?

"You're going to pay for that!" Exclaimed Renji as he made his way back onto his feet. Pinning Ichigo with a deadly gaze he spoke in a harsh voice. "You better watch out, if your not careful, I just might end up killing you by mistake."

As he said the last few words, Renji began to charge at Ichigo while holding up his fist. He looked like he was ready to pummel the orange-haired boy into dust.

Yawning in boredom, Ichigo skillfully ducked under his blow, landing a strike of his own into the attackers kidney. Renji winced in pain as he was pushed backwards and landed flat on his ass in a pile of dirt. He refused to believe that this… this… punk, had just kicked the 'shit' out of him, literally.

Ichigo wanted to laugh so hard that it hurt. He had punched him so hard it caused him to shit his pants, '_I told you I'd kick the shit out of you.' _He inwardly chuckled, '_what a fuck up.' _

After Renji was able to collect himself and get off the ground. He made his way towards the door in-order to go inside and clean himself up. He had never felt more humiliated in his life. Before the door closed behind him, Renji spoke in as threatening a voice as he could muster. "This isn't over." Ichigo couldn't agree more.

Figuring he wouldn't be seeing the red-headed buffoon any time soon, Ichigo turn his attention the girl standing next to him. As his gaze slowly traveled over to where said person was standing, he asked. "Are you okay?" Seconds later, he felt a sharp pain course through his right shin. As he keeled over in distress, a feminine voice broke through his pained cries.

"Idiot, I didn't need your help, I could have handled it myself." Ichigo stared at the mini she-devil standing in front of him with an expression of utter shock. How could someone her size kick _so_ hard? And was she getting mad at him for helping her? What the hell?

"It sure didn't look like it from where I was standing, unless you _wanted_ to be molested." Ichigo said, with confusion evident in his voice. "Is that any way to thank someone?"

"What, of course I didn't want to get molested." Rukia screeched. "I just don't want to drag other people into a mess that I started, then watch them get hurt because of me." She said with her voice slowly decreasing in volume with each word. Finishing in a whisper, Rukia's facial expression changed from one of anger to one of sorrow.

'_So that's it,' _Ichigo thought, his face morphing from a look of confusion, into one of understanding. '_She just doesn't want anyone to get hurt because of her.'_

Noticing the look of vulnerability that crossed her face, he thought it was probably best to end the argument there, although he didn't agree with her reasoning.

The silence that had surrounded them like a dense fog was broken by a hungry growl coming from Rukia's stomach. Said girl quickly turned away as a look of embarrassment crawled up her face.

Seeing the remnants of what Ichigo thought used to be the girls lunch laying in the dirt, he picked up his bento from where it had been placed before he fought Renji, and shoved it in front of Rukia who in-turn started blinking at the object in confusion.

"Take it." Ichigo said as he handed the box over. "I'm not hungry." Slowly walking back towards the tree in the center of the courtyard, Ichigo turned back to stare at the girl who hadn't moved an inch.

"Come on, there's still some time left before lunch is over, you should eat something," he stated matter-o-factly while motioning for her to follow. "I won't bite." He teased as he turned to continue walking.

"Fine." Replied Rukia in a defeated tone. As she turned to follow the bright head of orange who was now several yards in front of her, she couldn't help but think about how lucky she was that he had shown up. Just thinking about what could have happened made her skin crawl. She hated to admit it, but she now owed a debt to the boy.

Walking over to where Ichigo was sitting against a large tree, Rukia quietly sat and pulled out the lunch that he so graciously gave her. Staring down at the food, she spoke to man next to her.

"Thank you." The words were said in such a hushed voice that Ichigo barely heard her speak. Once she had finished, a ghost of a smile appeared on his face.

"You have nothing to thank me for." Ichigo replied in a soft voice.

"Did you just expect me to sit there and watch while an innocent girl gets attacked right in front of me. Those kinds of guys make me sick; I hate people who think they can exploit someone just because they're stronger than them. In the end, strength means nothing if you don't have a righteous cause to fight for. Besides, I still owed you for the pen I borrowed, consider us even."

Rukia was left speechless. This guy, who didn't really look all that intelligent, in fact he looked more like an idiot, sure was able to speak quite competently. '_Was he actually… smart?_' And did he just say that, because she had given him a _pen, _she didn't owe him anything for saving her. '_What the hell?' _

"You're telling me that you beat the shit out of someone for me, because I gave you a pen. Don't you realize that you could have gotten hurt?"

"That's not what I said… I just don't want you to think that you owe me anything." Ichigo replied in a serious voice.

"And about the part were I could have gotten hurt, that guy couldn't have even touched me. He may be big, but he has zero fighting skill. Not unlike other people I've had to 'deal with'."

"You make it sound like getting into fights is a daily occurrence for you." She joked, not expecting a serious answer.

Ichigo let out a deep sigh, "Yeah… it is. It doesn't matter where I go or what I do, I always tend to attract a lot of attention because of my hair color. All the punks think that I'm copying their 'style', so they threaten me, saying they'll 'beat me up' if I don't 'fix it'." He began to chuckle lightly.

"Then, when they come up to me with their gang to try and 'rough me up,' I beat the snot out of them." He stated with a satisfied smirk.

Rukia looked shocked. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. What kind of people would beat someone up just for having the same hair color as them?" She couldn't imagine what it would be like to constantly have a target painted on her head. How can he look so calm while talking about it?

"Isn't it kinda scary having so many people want to fight you? How come you never just listened to them and dyed your hair black?"

Ichigo wanted to laugh at how outraged Rukia seemed to be about this. She looked like she was about to storm off and give these punks a piece of her mind.

"It's not really a big deal." He stated casually. "After a while I just got used to it. I'm not the type of person that would walk away from a fight, but I also don't set out to find them." He said, as if contemplating something.

"As for not dying my hair; I don't give a damn about what other people think, so there's no point in doing what they tell me."

"I suppose that makes sense." Rukia said, while giving him a sympathetic look. Thinking it probably wasn't something he wanted to talk about anymore, she decided to change the subject.

"You sure did a number on Renji." She stated, her expression quickly changing from one of sympathy to one of humor. As she remembered what had happened, Rukia burst out laughing. A few seconds later, Ichigo did the same.

After their laughing-fit had subsided, Ichigo spoke confidently.

"Yeah, I guess I did." He replied while still chuckling lightly. He hadn't laughed like that in a while. It felt good. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this content. It was as if the girl next to him completed a part of his life that had been missing, up till now.

"I don't think we'll be seeing him around anytime soon. He's probably too humiliated to ever show his face here again."

Stilling trying to steady her breathing from laughing so hard, Rukia replied in a shaky voice.

"I sure hope I never see 'it' again." She spat, putting emphasis on the 'it'. It really felt good to laugh like that. She couldn't remember the last time she had felt this carefree. This boy's presence seemed to be able to take away all of her worries. It felt as if there was a protective aura surrounding her. Like just being near him made you 'safe'.

Once the sounds of soft laughter had ceased, a comfortable silence enveloped the two students. After a couple of peaceful minutes passed by, the sounding of the bell interrupted their moment of Zen.

Standing up slowly, Ichigo was the first to speak.

"We should get back to class." He stated flatly. A part of him wished could just sit there with Rukia all day, but it wouldn't exactly leave a good impression if he skipped his first day of school. He didn't really think she would want to skip anyway.

Turning towards said girl, he held out his hand for her to grab, in-order to pull her up.

Grabbing the hand that was graciously offered to her, Rukia spoke just as unenthusiastically as him.

"Yeah, I suppose we should." She replied halfheartedly, as Ichigo gently pulled her to her feet. '_So he knows how to be a gentlemen.' _She mused. It seemed that with every minute that passed in his company, Ichigo got more and more interesting. She really enjoyed spending time with him.

As the two students walked through the door entering the building, they let out a collective groan. Why did they have to make school so boring?

* * *

><p>As the final bell rung, signaling that everyone should be back in his or her respective class. Ichigo and Rukia walked in side by side and quickly took their seats.<p>

Turning their heads to the front of the room, they waited patiently for the teacher to begin.

"Alright class." The teacher started. "Bring out your math books and turn to page two-hundred and thirty-two. Today we're going to be reviewing for our test that I've decided is going to be held tomorrow morning." She beamed, with what appeared to be an evil glint in her eyes.

In return the entire class let out a collective groan of disappointment. They were not exactly happy about this new development.

Rukia sighed, she hated math. Despite being fairly smart, she never really understood it. '_When in my life will I ever need to find the imaginary roots of a parabola? This shit is useless.' _

Thinking it would be a better use of her time to study the material instead of dwelling on how useless it was. Rukia opened her book and picked a random question to try and solve, the key word being 'try'.

After a few failed attempts, a very flustered Rukia peered at the paper in front of the boy sitting next to her. Ichigo was busy quickly working through the questions as if they were the simplest things in the world. In fact, it looked like he was almost done. '_I guess he really is smart,' _she mused. '_I wonder if he'd consider helping me.'_

Tapping him lightly on the shoulder, Rukia spoke in a questioning voice as he turned to look at her.

"Hey, you look really good at that. Do you think you might be able to help me? I really suck at this stuff." She stated flatly while giving him a hopeful look.

Turning to face her fully, Ichigo replied with a smirk. "What if I said no?" He teased, as he almost burst out laughing at the pouting expression on Rukia's face. She looked like a little kid who was just denied candy.

"Fine, don't help me, I don't care. I didn't need your help anyway." She snapped as she turned away and tried the question on her own again. As she once again got the wrong answer, Rukia slumped over in her seat and let out a depressed sigh.

Eyeing the pitiful state that the girl next to him seemed to be in, Ichigo snatched her notebook off her desk and began solving the problem. Quickly finishing it, he handed it back with the correct answer written down.

"You forgot the x2 value when you divided it, if there isn't one in the equation you add it in as a zero." He stated matter-o-factly.

Staring blankly at the work that was neatly written on the page, Rukia moved her gaze to the orange-haired student.

"I thought you said you weren't going to help me." She scoffed, while giving him a thankful look.

"I never said I wouldn't help you idiot, I only asked what you would do if I said no." Wow, she sure could be dense at times. He chuckled lightly, not unlike him.

"Whatever." Rukia replied. Her nose buried in her textbook. "If that's the case then I'll be sure to bug you with every single question I have." An evil smirk appearing on her face, she doubted Ichigo would want to help her after discovering just how much she still needed to learn.

Ichigo stared blankly at the girl as if un-phased by her snide remark.

"Fire away." He said with a confident smirk plastered on his face.

Somehow he got the feeling that he would be spending the rest of the day helping Rukia, and for some odd reason, he didn't mind it one bit. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, but something about this girl drew him towards her. Being around her, just felt… right.

* * *

><p>Eyeing the weather conditions outside, Rukia couldn't help but slump over in defeat. School had just ended and there was currently a snowstorm outside. It also occurred, that by sheer happenstance she forgot her jacket this morning. To make things even worse, the short skirt that was part of her uniform was not exactly what one would call 'warm'. '<em>How the hell am I going to get home without freezing to death?' <em>She was having a really good day before 'this' happened.

Figuring it would be worth risking hypothermia to escape, rather than be trapped at school; she swiftly made her way to the front exit. As she was about to open said door, Rukia felt a large hand gently grip her by the shoulder, preventing her from moving forward.

"You shouldn't go out there without warmer clothes, you'll catch a cold." Came the concerned voice of one Ichigo Kurosaki, as he gently wrapped a large sweater around her.

Turning to face him fully, Rukia replied in a soft voice. "What's this?" She asked while raising her eyebrow questioningly.

Gazing down at her with an expression akin to confusion, Ichigo replied with sarcasm evident in his tone.

"This," he said while pointing to the garment draped over her shoulders, "Is called a jacket. Generally worn outside by people in cold weather, it keeps them warm and prevents them from freezing to death. It would do you some good to try wearing one once in awhile. Although it might be hard to find one in your size, I don't think they make them small enough for midgets."

Glaring at the orange-haired boy with flushed cheeks, Rukia spoke through gritted teeth.

"I know what it is dimwit. What I meant to say was; why are you giving it to me?"

Turning her body so she was facing him at a slight angle, she brought her foot mercilessly down upon his shin.

"And don't call me a midget!"

"OWW, WHAT THE FUCK!" Ichigo screamed, as he bent down to grab his left shin that was now in considerable pain. If he thought she'd kicked him hard before, it was nothing compared to what he felt now. '_Holy shit, it feels like I just got hit by a bus.' _

"I take it, kicking people in the shins is how you say thank you." He said with a bit of humor in his voice. "It would also do you some good to learn proper manners." He teased.

Figuring he was probably right, but not wanting to admit it, Rukia decided to change the subject.

"So why are you giving it to me? What are you going to wear?" He was currently wearing only a thin sweater over his uniform to protect himself from the cold. "I don't want to take it if it means you'll freeze to death instead."

Ichigo started to chuckle lightly. The short raven-haired girl, who had just physically assaulted him in the hallway, was concerned about his health. How ironic.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be fine." He assured her with a confident smirk.

"Shall we go?" He asked while holding the door open for her.

"Yeah." Rukia replied softly, as she walked through the door and entered the onslaught of frigid wind and snow, Ichigo quickly following behind her.

"You warm enough?" he asked, while eyeing the girl next to him. Rukia had her hands tucked tightly under her arms, and her face buried in the collar of his sweater as if she was trying to squeeze extra warmth from the fabric.

Walking through the school gate, Rukia turned to look at the shivering orange lump beside her.

"I'm fine, you should worry more about yourself. You're shaking more than a terrified little girl who just finished watching a horror movie."

Ichigo let out a dry laugh. "Very funny." He replied in a sarcastic manner. "Thanks for your concern, but I think I'll be just fine."

After they had been walking for several minutes, Ichigo heard Rukia's voice break through the dying wind.

"Why are you following me? Don't you have to be home soon?" She asked, as they began traveling down an alleyway leading into a secluded neighborhood. She didn't know of any students who lived there besides her, and he certainly didn't look like the type of person whose family would live in such a lavish area. Where the hell was he going?

"I'm not following you, I just happen to live in the same direction as you. And as a matter of fact I do have to be home soon." Ichigo responded, while looking up at the sky.

The worst of the storm had subsided a few minutes ago and it was now snowing lightly, the tiny crystals glistening in the sunlight as they fell.

Ignoring what he was saying, Rukia turned her head to the sky as she avidly watched the snowflakes fall to the ground. "I love the snow." She said idly as she stopped walking and stuck her hand out, letting the white powder land gracefully upon it.

Her moment of tranquility was swiftly ended as a large snowball came in contact with her rear.

Rukia let out a surprised yelp as she jumped into the air and turned to face a chuckling Ichigo who was already preparing another snowy projectile.

Her eyes widening in realization of what was to come, Rukia quickly ducked behind a snow bank, avoiding the clump of snow as it flew overhead. Peeking over the crest of the small embankment, she aimed a snowball of her own at the head of orange. As the snow came into contact with his forehead, she couldn't help but giggle a little bit at the pouting expression on his face.

"I'll get you back for that." He stated playfully as he dashed behind a parked car and quickly grabbed some snow off of the hood to create more ammunition.

"We'll see." Rukia replied. Her tone giving away the fact that she did not intend to let it happen.

As she began to send balls of snow flying at the car he was hiding behind. Ichigo dove out and sent out a deadly accurate shot aimed at her face, as several of her own bounced off his chest. Hitting its mark dead on, the flying mound of snow exploded on impact, leaving a very flustered Rukia in its wake.

As Ichigo completed his heroic dive with a face full of snow, Rukia couldn't help but laugh at his pitiful form as his body parts lay strewn across the ground. When said boy looked up to see the expression on the snow-covered face of the girl next to him, he also began to laugh lightly.

Their laughing was brought to an abrupt stop, as a loud scream broke through the frigid air. Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was the second time today that he had heard someone scream in pain. And just like the first time, he recognized the voice.


	2. Memories in the Rain

**(A/N)**

YAY! Chapter Two finished

Thanks for the wonderful reviews! It's nice to see that people are enjoying my story, hopefully I won't end up disappointing you in the end.

As far as this chapter is concerned, it's mostly focused on past memories and the deepening of the bond between Ichigo and Rukia. I used flashbacks instead of explaining the memories in dialogue. Let me know what you guys think of it. I would love to hear any tips you have to help improve my writing, or any suggestions you have as to what you want to see happen.

I'm going to try and upload a new chapter every week because I want them to be fairly long. Quality over quantity right?

Anyways I hope you enjoy, I wrote half of this on my phone during class lol. And yes Renji is the bad guy... for now.

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

* * *

><p><em>Their laughing was brought to an abrupt stop, as a loud scream broke through the frigid air. Ichigo couldn't believe what he was hearing. This was the second time today that he had heard someone scream in pain. And just like the first time, he recognized the voice.<em>

* * *

><p>Before Rukia could acknowledge the fact that someone had screamed at the top of her lungs just around the corner, Ichigo had already started sprinting down the street; a determined scowl on his face.<p>

"Where are you going?" She yelled as she ran after him. No response came as she rounded the corner and stopped dead at what she saw.

If Rukia thought Ichigo was wearing a murderous look while fighting Renji, compared to his current expression it seemed more like a joyous smile. Right now he looked like he was about to rip the limbs off of the people in front of him, set them on fire, then dump the ashes in a river.

The people in question, where presently surrounding a small girl with short brown hair, while brandishing knives among other sharp objects in her face. '_This is not good.'_ Rukia thought with a panicked look as she backed up slightly, readying herself to run away as fast as she could. '_They haven't seen us yet. Maybe we could get away without any trouble.'_ She had never seen this gang before, and she certainly didn't want to meet them.

Her plan was foiled as Ichigo began speaking in a deadly calm, and very serious voice.

"You have three seconds to step away from her." He said, while sending a deadly glare to every member of the group. "Otherwise, I can't guarantee that you'll leave this place with your lives."

Seemingly unaffected by his death threat, several of the thugs gave him a dubious look. Taking a large step forward, Ichigo raised his fists as he got into a fighting stance.

"Rukia, can you do me a favour?" He asked, while turning his head slightly to face her. "When you have a change I want you to take her and run."

Leaving no room for argument, Ichigo immediately sprung forward into the group creating a distraction, skillfully avoiding the knives being thrust at his chest.

Seizing the opportunity, Rukia quickly grabbed the girl by the arm and dragged her away from the brawl, as the thugs were too busy focusing on Ichigo.

"Wait, we can't just leave brother to fight all of those bad guys by himself." Came the panicked voice of the small young girl who was being dragged behind Rukia. Rukia was too busy running to realize the full meaning behind what she had said. '_Wait a minute. Did she just call him brother? No wonder he looked so pissed.'_

Skidding to a halt, Rukia turned to face the smaller girl. "Hold on, so your Ichigo's sister?" She asked inquisitively.

"Yes, now we need to go back and help him before those guys hurt him." She stated, as she began dragging Rukia back in the direction of the fight. Realization dawning on her, Rukia grabbed her by the shoulders and bent down, so she was face to face with the girl as she spoke.

"You stay here, I'll go help him." She said in a determined voice. Swiftly making her way back onto her feet, Rukia began to run back to where Ichigo was fighting the gang. There was no way she was going to let someone get hurt because of her own cowardice.

Just when she was about to round the corner, Rukia's blood froze when she heard someone roar in pain; and the voice didn't belong to one of the thugs.

* * *

><p>Once Ichigo saw that Rukia had escaped safely with his sister, he turned his full attention to the gang surrounding him. As one of them started to charge him from behind, Ichigo quickly dove forward onto his hands, dodging the blow. Then, putting his feet onto his attackers shoulders, he did a handspring to his feet, knocking his opponent unconscious as he fell against the hard compacted snow. Immediately after this, a blue-haired man who seemed to be the gang's leader stepped forward, a sadistic smile on his face.<p>

"You think you can fight us?" He asked in a shaky voice as if he was trying to hold back laughter. "How foolish, can't you tell that you've already lost?"

"We are the Arrancar, most powerful gang in all of Karakura Town." He stated, now laughing aloud. "And my names Grimmjow Jeagerjaques, one of the famed Espada. Out of everyone I'm ranked number six. Now, let me show you why." He said, as he lunged towards Ichigo.

Overwhelmed by his insane speed, Ichigo was unable to dodge the knife headed strait for his heart. Raising his arm, he caught the blade in his hand as he let out a loud roar; blood trickling down into the snow below his feet. Raising his head to meet Grimmjow's gaze, Ichigo gave him a look so menacing, that a lesser man would have immediately ran away for fear of his life.

"You're fast, I'll give you that much." He said, still glaring at the man. "But don't talk as if you've already won. You still haven't seen what I can do yet."

Without another word, Ichigo quickly yanked the knife out of Grimmjow's hands by the blade, and skillfully twirled it around so that he had a firm grip on the handle.

Before he could react, Ichigo slashed him across the chest. The white snow turning a dark red as the deep wound started bleeding profusely.

"AHHH, YOU FUCKING BASTARD." Grimmjow screamed, as he fell back into the snow; his breathing laboured

"What's your name kid?" He asked a few moments later in an unusually calm voice.

"Ichigo Kurosaki." The boy spat out, not entirely sure why he wanted to know this information. Something about this guy frightened Ichigo. Although he was lying helplessly on the ground with a large gash across his chest, the way he spoke with that creepy smile on his face made the logical part of Ichigo's mind tell him to run.

After he had spoken his name, Grimmjow broke out into hysterical laughter, leaving Ichigo in a state of shock as he stared at the man quizzically. '_What the hells wrong with this guy? He could seriously die here and he's laughing like a maniac.' _

After his psychotic laughter had regressed into a low chuckle, Grimmjow spoke in an abnormally casual tone considering his injuries. "We'll kid, I can't exactly say it was nice knowing ya, but at least we had a little fun." Wearing a grin from ear to ear, he spoke his last few words in a sinister voice. "I'll see ya in hell."

Staring at the blue-haired man being dragged away by his cohorts with confusion, Ichigo failed to notice the one that had snuck behind him. Not realizing the impending danger, he continued to stare at the retreating gang, until he was broken out of his stupor by a familiar voice.

"Ichigo." Rukia yelled as she began chucking rather large snowballs at his attackers face; effectively preventing him from stabbing said boy. "Don't just stand there idiot, get over here and help me." She finished, while kicking the man in the stomach.

Without argument, Ichigo hastily lunged at the man who was quickly trying to wipe the snow from his eyes, knocking him unconscious with an elbow to the temple. '_Where the hell did he come from? And why is she here? What the hell?'_

"Shut up." He said, while giving her a look of gratitude. '_I guess we really are even now.'_

Looking at the man laying face down in a pile of snow, Rukia spoke to the orange-haired boy who was staring at her like a dope. "We should get going befor-"

She was cut off in mid-sentence as a very concerned brown-haired girl came running towards the injured Ichigo with tears streaming down her face.

Clutching onto his shirt tightly, the girl spoke in a muffled voice.

"B-brother a-are you o-okay-y?" she asked between sobs, almost choking on the words.

"Yeah, I'm fine Yuzu." He replied in caring voice, his expression softening considerably. He was never good at comforting emotional girls; in fact it was one of Ichigo's biggest fears.

"No you're not!" She screamed, while letting her gaze travel to his bloody hand. "You're bleeding." She stated, with a look of concern.

"Don't worry about it." He said while taking off his sweater and wrapping it around his injured hand. "I'll just get dad to stitch it up when we get home." He said in a calm voice, trying not to betray the fact that he was in considerable pain.

"How can you say that?" She asked in utter shock. "Look at the ground, it's drenched in blood.

"It's not mine." He stated mater-o-factly. '_Only a half-lie.' _He mused.

Turning her attention to the raven-haired girl who was staring at Ichigo with a look of concern, Yuzu spoke in a slightly calmer voice.

"Thank you for helping us. I saw you attack that bad man who was about to hurt brother." She said, while whipping some of the tears off her face.

"My names Yuzu what's yours?"

"Rukia Kuchiki." She said in a clear voice. "Its nice to meet you Yuzu." _'Wow, she sure is friendly. Is she really Ichigo's sister?'_

"It's nice to meet you too Rukia-chan. Why don't you come over to our house for dinner? It's the least I can do to repay you for helping us." She said with a happy smile, seeming to forget about Ichigo's condition.

"C-come o-on Yuzu, you c-can m-make friends l-later. We s-should get home b-before the old g-goat sends out a s-search party." Ichigo interrupted, now shaking violently. The blood loss was making the cold weather almost unbearable.

Eyeing Ichigo's feeble state, Rukia walked over, gently placing the sweater he had given her earlier atop his muscular shoulders.

"I wouldn't want to intrude. Besides, he needs some serious medical treatment, I'll only get in the way." She said, as she turned away. The back of her head facing them as she spoke.

Thinking it was probably best to leave the two alone, Rukia began walking in the direction of 'home'. If she could even call it that anymore. In actual fact it was more like a prison. It wasn't a home at all; it was just the place she lived.

She was pulled from her depressing train of thoughts as a deep voice called out from behind her.

"Oi, where are you going? Ichigo called after her. "You won't be intruding at all, and my old man will be able to fix me up in no time. You don't have to worry about it." He stated calmly, his condition improving considerably with the extra warmth. "Besides, you could still use some help studying for that math test."

Rukia couldn't help but smile a bit at this. '_He actually wants me to come over?'_

Ever since she could remember, Rukia was always treated differently because of her 'status'. It was considered unfit for someone of nobility to associate with underlings. Or at least that's what her brother would say. She never paid any attention to rank, but that didn't stop other people from viewing her as 'different'.

All she ever wanted was to be normal; maybe this was her chance.

Eyeing the girl who had just stopped mid-step in the middle of the street, Ichigo involuntarily let the corners of his lips twist upwards into a smirk. '_So she does want to come.'_

For some reason this made him feel good. All he really wanted was to have a friend that he could just be himself around, without having to uphold his image. Someone he could talk to. Something about this girl made Ichigo think that she was that person.

Twirling around on one foot to face him, Rukia replied in a soft voice.

"I think I'd like that." She said, a small smile gracing her face. '_So this is what it feels like to have friends.'_

* * *

><p>Walking up the small path leading to the Kurosaki home, Rukia glanced at Ichigo who, for some reason, appeared to be very tense.<p>

"You okay?" She asked, worrying he may have lost too much blood from his wound. As they reached the front door, Ichigo turned to face her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But I would be more worried about yourself right now." He said, while turning the handle.

Before Rukia could inquire as to what exactly he meant by that, an extremely energetic man in his early forties jumped through the front door and tackled Ichigo to the ground.

"Your late." Came the voice of one Isshin Kurosaki, delivered at an ear shattering volume.

Rukia grimaced at the scene. '_I guess this is why he looked so tense a few seconds ago. Must be a daily occurrence.' _She chuckled lightly. She hadn't even properly met his family yet, but somehow she was already beginning to like them.

"Get off of him dad, he's hurt really bad!" Yuzu exclaimed, with a cheerless expression. "He got into a fight with a gang that was trying to hurt me, and cut his hand really deep."

"That's mah boy!" Isshin exclaimed proudly. "Always getting his ass handed to him." He said, as he started dragging him towards the small clinic. "Ya must be getting soft on me."

Turning her attention towards Rukia, Yuzu spoke in a much happier tone.

"This is Rukia-chan." She said, while staring at said girl with sparkling eyes. "She saved brothers life."

"Ah, Rukia-chan is it?" Isshin began, with an expression that resembled that of a cartoon character. Rukia thought he might become two-dimensional, and do a crazy stunt that defied the laws of physics any second. "Ichigo, you sure know how to pick 'em."

Rising to his feet, Ichigo punched his father hard in the face, sending him flying in through the front door.

"Shut-up old man." He yelled in after him.

Watching the exchange, Rukia began to laugh lightly. This place was so lively, and full of energy. It actually felt like a home.

Quickly recovering from the blow, Isshin dashed back out the door and lunged at Ichigo, putting him into a headlock.

"You're too slow." He yelled as he pulled Ichigo through the door leading inside, leaving Rukia and Yuzu standing outside; shaking their heads in disapproval.

"Come in." Yuzu said, as she walked in through the door after them, motioning for Rukia to follow.

"You can sit here and wait for brother if you want." She said while pointing to a comfortable looking chair in what appeared to be the lobby of the small clinic.

"Yeah." Rukia replied. Taking a seat she let out a content sigh. After her hectic day, it felt good to just sit back and relax. Her life certainly got a lot more… interesting, since a certain orange-haired student entered it.

Getting lost in random thought, Rukia was brought back to reality as the soft voice of the young girl next to her ended the peaceful silence.

"Thank you for helping brother, I don't know what we'd do if something ever happened to him." Yuzu said, while looking down at her feet, as if trying to find a form of comfort from the patterned tiles that lined the floor.

Seeing the vulnerable look on her face, Rukia sat up and wrapped her arms around her torso; holding her in a comforting embrace as the young girl began to cry quietly.

After a few minutes, Yuzu backed out of the embrace and let her gaze land on Rukia's big violet eyes.

"Thank you." She said again, a smile appearing on her face. She really was a nice girl.

"You have nothing to thank me for." Rukia replied, copying the words that Ichigo had said to her earlier, remembering how they had put her at ease.

There was a real sense of fulfillment she got from helping her. Rukia felt like she had gained a younger sister, someone who could depend on her. It was a feeling that had been missing from her life for too long. Maybe now she had finally found a purpose.

Their emotional moment was ended as Isshin walked into the room with a patched up Ichigo trailing behind.

Turning to face his crazy father, Ichigo glared hard at the man, warning him to behave himself, or-else.

"Rukia's staying for dinner." He said, not really wanting to find out what bizarre things would spew out of his fathers mouth.

Ignoring the deadly glare being received from his son, Isshin spoke in a cheerful tone.

"Of course she's staying for dinner." He replied ecstatically. "You can stay as long as you like Rukia-chan, in fact, feel free to stay for the rest of your life." He said, with a huge grin plastered on his face.

"She's a keeper Ichigo, don't do something stupid to mess it up."

Landing a punch to his fathers face, Ichigo turned to start dragging Rukia towards his room, away from his insane father. '_She's only been here ten minutes and I'll bet she already wants to leave.' _He inwardly groaned. '_Why is my dad so crazy?'_

"We're going to my room." Ichigo yelled to his father, who was now lying face down in a basket of dirty hospital gowns, as him and Rukia made their way up the stairs.

Yelling at the top of his lungs for the whole neighbourhood to hear, what Isshin said in response made the two teens turn beet-red in embarrassment.

"ATTA BOY ICHIGO, KNOCK HER UP IN ONE GO. THEN SHE'LL NEVER LEAVE YOU!

Before Ichigo could start thinking of ways to slowly torture his father to death. Isshin's booming voice echoed through the hallway.

"I WANT GRAND-BABIES!"

Ichigo thought that if he had the opportunity to die a thousand painful deaths just so he could avoid this embarrassment, he would take it.

"Shut up ya old goat." Ichigo yelled, as he dragged Rukia into the safety of his bedroom; slamming the door shut behind them.

Slumping over with his back against the door, Ichigo let out a relieved sigh. This was why he never invited people over.

Turning to face Rukia who was already lying sprawled out across his bed. Ichigo's mood lightened considerably when said girl began to chuckle lightly.

"Your family sure is energetic." She commented, her laughter slowly dying down as she smiled softly.

At this, Ichigo also allowed a small smirk to replace his usual scowl. Wasn't she freaked out by his father's crazy antics?

"Sorry about my old man. He has a tendency to make people feel uncomfortable." He said, looking up at the ceiling with a far-away look in his eyes, as if remembering past experiences.

"Don't worry about it." She said, pulling him from his daze. "It's a pleasant change from what I'm used to." Rukia finished, with a sad expression.

"Your not bothered by it?" He asked, with a look of astonishment.

"Not at all." She replied. "I really like your family." Something about them made her feel, for the first time in her life, like she belonged.

"That's good I guess." He said in a relieved voice. For some reason, it made him really happy that she was getting along with his family… seeing as the whole neighbourhood knew how much his family loved her. He inwardly sighed. Why can't they just act normal for once?

"We should probably start studying for that test." Ichigo stated, with a look that said he wanted to do otherwise. Rukia didn't seem to be very enthusiastic about it either.

"Argh, why does sensei always have to announce tests the day before we have them? Its like she wants us to fail." Rukia groaned, pulling her out her books from her satchel that lay in a heap on the floor.

"Maybe if you paid more attention it wouldn't be a problem." Ichigo snickered. He couldn't really blame her though. Sensei's teaching methods _were _a little unorthodox.

"Shut up." She responded, punching him lightly in the arm, the blow lacking its usual vigour "I pay attention… some times." She finished lamely, realizing he was probably right. She didn't really focus during class at all.

"I take it, you agree." He said, while staring into her large violet eyes, as if reading her thoughts.

"Just because I think your right, doesn't mean I have to admit it." Rukia stated playfully, daring him to continue.

Letting out a long sigh of defeat, Ichigo bend down to grab his books and sat down at his small desk in the corner of the room.

"I guess you win." He said, while raising his hands as a sign of surrender. "…For now." He added, with a playful smirk.

Ignoring his silly antics, Rukia began to work quietly on his bed. Once she thought she was actually making real progress through the problem, Ichigo interrupted her.

"You missed a square root." He commented, while eyeing her paper. "In-order to get rid of the square, you have to square root both sides."

"Whatever." Came her replied. Not wanting to praise him for his extensive knowledge. '_No need to stroke his ego.' _She mused.

Trying the question again, Rukia used the method Ichigo had described, yielding the correct answer. She couldn't help but squeal in excitement.

"Yes! I think I actually get this stuff now!" She exclaimed, with an excited gleam in her eyes.

Seeing the happiness reflected through in her violet orbs, Ichigo began to smile softly. Yes, Ichigo Kurosaki, the man who was famous for his perpetual scowl actually had a genuine smile on his face. How could one person's excitement affect him so greatly? What was it about her that made him want to smile every time he saw her so happy?

"Your not finished already, are you?" He asked, turning his head away so she couldn't see his current expression.

"There's going to be a lot more than one question on the test you know." He teased, wincing in pain as a textbook collided with the back of his head.

"OWW, what the hell." Ichigo yelped, as he began to slowly rub the growing bump on the back of his noggin.

"I still can't get over how strong you are, despite being so small." The comment about her being small, earning him another textbook to the face. '_Dammit, where the hell are all these books coming from?'_ He groaned in annoyance. She sure could be irritating at times.

Lifting his head up to gaze at the abusive midget sitting on his bed, Ichigo was surprised to see a sad frown on her face instead of the mischievous smirk he had anticipated.

Staring down at her feat with a blank expression, Rukia spoke in a depressing tone.

"If I was truly strong, I would be able to fight my own battles without dragging innocent people into danger." Her gaze slowly traveling upward to meet Ichigo's intense amber eyes, she couldn't help find herself getting lost in their warmth. Something about the way he looked at her comforted Rukia. It felt like she had finally found a source of heat in the frigid wasteland called her world.

Assuming she was referring to the incident with the red-haired student at lunch, Ichigo gaped at the girl in astonishment. She was still worrying about that? Curiosity getting the better of him, he decided to ask her a question that had been bugging him ever since he had fought the scum-bag.

"What exactly happened between you and that pineapple-head at lunch anyway? Why would he attack you like that? What did you do to make him so angry?" As soon as he finished, Ichigo immediately regretted asking her the question as he saw her eyes begin to fill with tears.

Refusing to let her tears fall, Rukia turned her head away from Ichigo, preparing herself for the emotional conversation that was sure to come. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt like she had to tell him.

"It wasn't always like this." She started in a shaky voice. "He used to be my best friend."

Ichigo was instantly taken aback after hearing such a profound statement. He couldn't comprehend why someone who used to be her best friend would want to hurt her like that.

'_What the hell happened?'_

As if reading his mind, Rukia began the grueling tale from her childhood.

_**Enter Flashback**_

"_Ha ha__, __for someone who likes to brag about how skilled he is, you sure do suck at this." Nine-year-old Rukia said as a very flustered Renji jumped to his feat, wiping a thick coating of mud off of his face._

"_Shut up, that was just a warm up." He said, as he dove back into the small pond in search of his prize._

_Both Renji and Rukia would often come down to this small pond on the outskirts of town and compete against each other in various challenges. Today they were seeing who could catch the most fish using only their hands. Lets just say that Renji wasn't very adept at the art. _

"_You've been saying that for hours now. Maybe you should just give up, and while you're at it deflate that giant ego of yours. If it gets any bigger you just might explode from too much self-worship." She stated, very seriously. _

"_Psch, like that's possible." The red-haired boy responded, not bothering to deny the part about self-worship. _

"_Alright, forty-eighth time the charm." Renji said as he dove in after a rather large carp that had been lurking just below the surface. As he once again came up empty handed, Rukia began to laugh loudly at the pouting expression on the young boys face._

"_Looks like I win… again!" She exclaimed happily. It didn't matter what they did, Rukia always won, and just like always, Renji looked pissed. _

"_Dammit, why are you so good at this stuff?" He asked inquisitively, as if expecting a serious explanation behind it._

"_Well, it's not exactly hard to win when my opponent is as bad as you." She teased, while laughing aloud at his expense. _

_Her laughter ceased when she heard a calm emotionless voice come from behind her._

"_Rukia, you need to come with me, now." Byakuya stated bleakly. Walking up to her he grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her away from Renji. _'What the hell was he doing here?'

"_I guess I'll see you tomorrow." She yelled after him, still not entirely sure why her sisters husband was currently there hauling her away, never mind how he found the place to begin with. She never really liked the man, but thought it best to obey him for her sister's sake._

_Little did she know, that after that night, her life would be changed forever, and not for the better. _

_She never did see Renji the next day. After what she had experienced that night, she couldn't even see herself anymore._

_**End Flashback**_

"I didn't talk to him again for a very long time after that day." She stated sadly. "I guess he thought that I had abandoned him as a friend. I don't blame him for thinking that either, because it's true."

"He never used to look so menacing, or act so violently, he turned into a completely different person from the one I used to know. I guess I did that too him. We were each other's only friends and I just left him behind like he was nothing. The day I saw him again after all those years, I didn't even recognize him. I turned into a monster. I made him suffer. Now I'm paying for it."" Rukia finished, now crying openly.

"You must think I'm a horrible person." She added as an after-thought. Refusing to look him in the eyes.

"You want to know what I think?" Ichigo asked, as he sat on the bed next to her, lifting his arm around her shoulder as a form of comfort.

"I think you should stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over." He said, in a firm voice, attempting to show how serious his statement was.

"I don't know what that dumb-ass is thinking, but he must be pretty stupid to hold a grudge against you for something like that." He continued, his gaze traveling away from the girl, as he stared off in anger.

"I'm sure you had a good reason not to talk to him in such a long time. If he were a true friend he would be able to understand that. He turned himself into a monster, it has nothing to do with you."

The reality of that statement hitting her, Rukia hung her head low in her lap, contemplating what he had said.

All these years she had been blaming herself. Was it really not her fault? Was Renji to blame? How come he never confronted her about the problem instead of just hurting her?

All these unanswered questions were swarming through Rukia's mind like a violent tornado. She found herself lost in a sea of despair, until a familiar voice pulled her up from the darkness.

"You don't have to shoulder that burden alone anymore." Ichigo said softly, while gazing into her sad violet eyes. "From now on… we'll carry it together." He finished, his look saying that he had every intention of following through with his promise.

Staring back into his burning eyes of amber, Rukia smiled softly. It had been a long time since she'd had someone she could come to when she needed help. Someone who could comfort her when she forgot what the word 'comfort' meant. Someone to cheer her on when she felt like there was nothing left to fight for. Someone she could count on. Someone she could trust. Ichigo was that 'someone'.

"Thank you." She said quietly, her face displaying all of the words that couldn't be said.

"Idiot, I thought I already told you. You have nothing to thank me for." He replied lightheartedly, the corners of his lips turning up into a small smile.

Ichigo was never good at dealing with emotional girls; he just never knew what he was supposed to do. For some reason, he didn't even have to think around Rukia, he knew exactly what to say to her.

Looking at the girl, who had strangely become an important part of his life in only a short period of time. Ichigo vowed to himself, to do the one thing he had lost faith in a long time ago. To protect what was most important to him.

'_I promise to protect you, no matter what. Protect the person… who protects me.'_

Their sensitive moment was ended by the booming voice of Isshin as it penetrated through the bedroom walls. Much to Ichigo's horror, what he said would not exactly be considered 'normal'.

"Ichigo, I know your eager, but you and Rukia-chan need to put your clothes back on and come downstairs for dinner." He shouted, in an excessively loud voice.

Hastily jumping from his spot on the bed, Ichigo made his way to the bedroom door with great vigour Opening the door into the face of his crazy dad, he sent out a punch, hitting his father square in the nose.

"Shut up, we weren't naked you perverted psychopath." Ichigo yelled, as his deranged father fell backwards, leaving a red-faced Rukia sitting with her hands over her mouth, attempting to hold back laughter; and failing miserably.

Dragging said girl off his bed and out the bedroom door, Ichigo quickly pulled her towards the kitchen, away form his father's foolishness. If they were lucky he might just lay in a jumbled heap all dinner.

Much to Ichigo's dismay, Isshin was back to his feet in five seconds flat, speedily following the couple into the dinning room.

Walking up to the table, Rukia was greeted by a very cheerful Yuzu, who was holding a spatula in one hand with an apron draped over her front.

"I hope you like lasagna." She said, raising her free hand to point at a chair, which held a dreary looking girl with short black hair, who was currently staring blankly at the new guest.

"This is Karin, she's my twin sister. She isn't very friendly though so don't let it get to you."

Giving Yuzu a cold glare, Karin commented in a voice devoid of feeling. "You know I can hear you." She stated bleakly. "Stop talking like I'm not even here."

"Rukia-chan right?" She asked, turning he head to get a better view the girl. "I'm Karin, nice to meet you." She finished, her voice just as impassive as before.

'_She looks just like Ichigo.'_ Rukia inwardly chuckled. '_Scowl and all.'_

Before she could respond, Rukia was interrupted as a frenzied Isshin came racing down the stairs; tissues shoved up his nostrils, preventing them from bleeding everywhere.

"Ah, now that we've all got to meet Rukia-chan…" He began happily. '_So far so good._' Ichigo thought, hoping this might be the one sentence his father said that was actually normal.

"…Lets all have a wonderful dinner with my future daughter in-law."

Ichigo face-palmed. Why did his father have to be so outlandish?

Not thoroughly sure how to deem his statement, Rukia just decided to ignore it and sat down in the seat provided; Ichigo swiftly landing in the chair next to her.

After everyone was dished out and sitting comfortably, Isshin officially started the 'daily Kurosaki family dinner conversation.'

"So, Rukia-chan, tell us about yourself. Where did you and my idiot son meet? How did you fall in love? When's the wedding?" He asked, wearing a ridiculous grin.

"Would you quit it with the awkward questions and just shut up." Ichigo yelled, sending flying kick across the table, hitting his father in the side of the face.

"That should give us a few minutes of peace." Karin commented; her face buried in her plate.

Trying to ignore the embarrassing conversation currently taking place, Rukia focused her attention on enjoying the delicious food laid in front of her. It was by far, one of the best dishes she had ever eaten.

"The food is amazing. Did you make this?" She asked, staring at Yuzu questionably.

Her eyes lighting up in pure joy, Yuzu replied cheerfully. "Yes, I made it." She stated proudly. "Do you really like it?"

Eyeing the girl in disbelief, Rukia spoke in a knowing tone. "Of course, I love it. This is some of the best food I've ever eaten."

"Really?" Yuzu asked again, more as a statement then a question. "I'm glad you think so." She finished, her face displaying a beautiful smile.

"See, I told you Yuzu, you're a very talented cook. Even the midget agrees." Ichigo interrupted. It was nice to see that his sister thought so highly of Rukia's opinion. Even Karin seemed to respect her in her own way. She looked like she belonged there… as a part of the family.

He was pulled from his thoughts as a fairly large and very moist lasagna noodle flopped onto his face, which was now covered in sauce. Seeing the mischievous smirk on the raven-haired girl next to him, Ichigo didn't even need to ask who was responsible. '_Two can play at that game.' _

Without delay, he thrust a piece of melted cheese at the five-foot troublemaker occupying the seat adjacent; the projectile slowly trickling down her face. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, a full-on food fight was underway.

The chaos was quickly ended as the phone began to ring noisily.

Dashing over to the counter with noodles and sauce dripping from his hair, Ichigo picked up the phone that was laying on its surface.

"Hello." Ichigo spoke into the receiver, genuinely curious as to who would phone at this time of night.

"This is he." He spoke again, with his brows furrowed.

His eyebrows rising in astonishment seemingly at what had been said over the line, Rukia starred at the boy with interest.

"Hey, what's up? I haven't talked to you in a while. What have you been up to?" He asked, stopping to listen for the answer.

"Really? That's cool. Anyways, I'm not sure about tomorrow, I'll have to think about it. See ya then." He finished, hanging up the phone and putting it down on the table.

"Who was that?" Rukia asked inquisitively, interested in whom he was talking to.

"That was Tatsuki, she's my old childhood friend." He said, wiping a stray noodle out of her hair. "

"Apparently she's in our class, she just wasn't there today because of her martial arts tournament. She wants me to go to the theme park after school tomorrow with a bunch of her friends to 'celebrate' me moving back." He finished, with an annoyed look.

"You should come." He offered, thinking it might be a tolerable experience if he had her there to talk to.

"I'll think about it." Rukia replied, not really wanting to share what was on her mind.

"We should get cleaned up." She stated, changing the subject.

"Yeah." Ichigo said, wondering why she had suddenly become so detached from the conversation as soon as he mentioned Tatsuki. '_Does she know her?'_

Deciding it would be better not to ask, Ichigo walked over to the small closet just down the hall and pulled out a couple facecloths, handing one to Rukia.

Once their bodies where freed from any unwanted debris, Ichigo called out to his family who was still sitting in the kitchen.

"We're going back to my room." He said, as him and Rukia made their way up the stairs. Just when he thought he might escape dinner without hearing any more senseless remarks from his father, his optimism was shattered by the thunderous voice of Isshin.

"Remember my son… condoms are the spawn of Satan." Came the idiotic statement, said with great fervour

At this, Ichigo let out a loud frustrated groan. "Shut the hell up already." He yelled back at his father angrily.

"You're not getting grandchildren anytime soon, so just give it up." He finished, slamming his bedroom door shut for the second time today. Sometimes it seemed like Ichigo was the only normal person in his family.

Once again slumping over next to his door in exhaustion, Ichigo was woken from his daze as a pillow collided with the top of his head, exploding on impact.

Eyeing the playful smirk situated on the face of a certain raven-haired girl, who was already holding another pillow in a throwing stance, Ichigo quickly dodged the projectile. Throwing the pillow that had hit his head earlier up towards Rukia's anterior as a distraction, Ichigo tackled said girl into his bed sheets.

Not entirely sure what was going on, Rukia yelped in surprise when he began to tickle her mercilessly.

"You didn't think I'd let you win that easily, did you?" He asked the giggling lump that was squirming in laughter. It was amazing, how with one simple act, she was able to make him forget all his problems. It was like they became closed off into their own little world, where there was nothing but joy.

"Stop it!" Rukia squealed, trying to push the large mass that was sitting on her torso with a devilish smirk away. For some reason she got a sense of satisfaction out of being able to provoke the boy. She would be enjoying it if it weren't for the fact that it was becoming difficult to breath.

"What would your dad say if he walked in right now?" She asked panting for breath as Ichigo quickly jumped off of her, his face displaying a picture of pure horror.

"Probably something like… _Is she pregnant yet? _Or… _What's the baby's name? _Or... _Did you at least last long enough to become a father? _He finished, as Rukia began laughing at Ichigo's impression of his father. She stopped abruptly, when she heard a loud knock on the window.

"YOU'RE WRONG! I'D SAY IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!" Isshin exclaimed, standing on a ladder that was perched up against the side of the house; peering into the room.

Dashing toward the window with a look of mortification, Ichigo thrust the window open and pushed the ladder away from the house; yelling after his father as he fell to the ground.

"Can you just give it a rest and leave us alone?" Ichigo screamed, slamming the window closed behind him with excessive force.

"Your dad sure is crazy." Rukia commented, chuckling lightly. "How does your mother put up with him? Speaking of which, where is your mother? How come she wasn't at dinner?" She asked, wanting to know more about his family.

Seeing the sad look in his eyes, Rukia suddenly found the answer to her own question.

"…She died…"

Looking into the sea of amber, Rukia found they were devoid of the warmth they once held. Instead they looked so distant, almost detached from the world.

"I'm sorry." She said softly, putting her hands over his, which was clenched tightly into a large fist. "Just forget I said anything."

"You're not… going to ask anything?" He asked her, looking off into the distance with a pained expression.

"…If I ask, will you answer?" She started, with a sad look.

"…It's your problem. Whatever happened has left a deep scar on your heart. I have no right to know. I don't have a method of stepping into the depths of your heart without reopening those wounds…" Tightening her grip on his hand, Rukia looked into Ichigo's sad amber orbs and smiled softly, while continuing her speech.

"…So I'll wait. When you want to talk. When you feel like it's okay to talk… talk to me. Until then, I'll wait."

Looking back into her piercing violet eyes, Ichigo mulled over what Rukia had just declared. She wanted to know what happened, but she was willing to wait so as to not hurt him. She had surprisingly kind moments too. Ichigo wanted… no… needed to tell her. He had kept his feelings bottled up for too long; this was his chance to finally let go. It was an opportunity to forget the memories that haunted his dreams. He finally had someone he could rely on, someone he could trust, someone who could take the weight off his shoulders, and pull him from the darkness. She was the person who would change his world. Ichigo could feel it.

"It was eight years ago…" He began. Staring at his hands which were enclosed in Rukia's smaller ones. "It was raining… I hate the rain. It always reminds my of the day I lost everything."

_**Enter Flashback**_

"_Looks like I win again!" Exclaimed Tatsuki, as she stood over the orange-haired boy who was lying on the floor, crying his eyes out. _

"_Oh come on, I didn't hit you that hard." She said, her expression softening as she held out a hand to help him up._

_Slowly wiping the tears from his eyes, Ichigo grabbed the hand offered and quickly jumped to his feet._

"_I'll get you next time. Just wait and see" He spoke confidently, not wanting to admit defeat. _

"_Psch, like that'll ever happen." Tatsuki laughed, not believing a word of it. _

_While her guard was down, Ichigo seized the opportunity and tackled her down to the mat, holding her arm behind her back at an awkward angle. _

_With immense pain coursing through her right shoulder, Tatsuki had no choice but to tap out, effectively losing the match._

"_Never let you guard down." Ichigo stated mater-o-factly, staring down at the girl with a happy smile, pleased with how successful his ploy had been._

_Him and Tatsuki would often come down to the local dojo and train. It didn't matter how many times they fought, Tatsuki would always win; until today that is. _

_Just when she thought he couldn't look any happier, Ichigo's smile turned into a huge grin as a very beautiful woman with auburn hair walk into the room; Ichigo's mother._

"_Mom." Ichigo yelled excitedly, as he ran into her comforting embrace. "Guess what, I finally beat Tatsuki." He said, looking up to see his mother's reaction._

"_Wow, that's great sweetie." She replied happily. "My little boy's finally turning into a man."_

"_No, I already am a man." Ichigo corrected, not wanting to be called a little boy anymore._

"_Alright… young man…" She said cheerily. "…You better grab your things and get going, otherwise we're going to be late."_

_Doing as instructed, Ichigo quickly grabbed his shoes and jacket, following his mother out the door._

"_Let me walk by the street, I'm wearing a raincoat so it doesn't matter if the cars driving by splash me." He said, while walking under the umbrella being held by his companion. "Let me protect you."_

_Ichigo had no idea, that those would be the last words he would ever speak to her._

_As they began walking past the large river, which was overflowing with rainwater, the screeching of wet tires on pavement cut thought the humid air. _

_The last thing Ichigo saw before he blacked out was his mother standing in front of him, with her arms raised out in front of her; she was protecting him._

_When he finally came to, what Ichigo saw… would haunt him forever._

_**End Flashback**_

"It's my fault she's dead." He stated, with a forlorn expression.

"Me, my father, my sisters… we all loved mom. Everything revolved around her. When she died it all fell apart. I couldn't look at myself; I never understood why they didn't blame me.

You have no idea what it's like to live every single day, knowing what I've caused. In the end I couldn't save her. I failed to protect what was most important to me." Ichigo finished, with a poignant look in his eyes.

"You're wrong!" Rukia exclaimed, in a serious voice.

"You should take your own advice, and 'stop blaming yourself for something you had no control over'. You're not alone anymore. If you can't protect what's important to you… then I'll do it for you."

Staring at the girl in surprise, Ichigo couldn't help but smile at what she had said. All this time, deep down he knew it was true… he just needed someone to say it. He needed someone who wasn't afraid to confront him when he was wrong, someone he could talk to when he needed help, someone who could pick him up when he fell, someone who could guide him when he found himself lost in the impenetrable darkness he called life. Rukia was that 'someone'.

"I guess it's my turn to say thank you." He replied serenely.

"Damn straight." Rukia joked, punching him lightly in the arm. "Idiot."

Eyeing the clock, which was situated just above Ichigo's closet door, Rukia stood abruptly once noticing the time.

"I should get going, Nii-Sama will kill me if I'm late." She said, with regret evident in her voice. She wished she could stay a little longer.

"I'll see ya tomorrow." She yelled, as she ran out the door and down the stairs.

Trailing the girl through the hallway, Ichigo yelled after her.

"Wait, I'll walk you home." He offered, not wanting her to leave just yet.

"There's no need." She replied coolly. "I live across the street."

Without another word, Rukia swiftly made her way through the front door, closing it behind her; leaving Ichigo gapping in the middle of the kitchen like an idiot.

Once the new information had finally pierced Ichigo's thick skull, he found the corners of his lips twisting up into a small smile. He would definitely see her tomorrow.

* * *

><p>As he began limping down a small dark hallway, which lead to the last place he wanted to be right now, the eerie looking man let out a tired sigh. Whenever he was called here it always involved more work; none of which was ever any fun. Sometimes he wished it could be a little more enjoyable.<p>

Opening the large door at the end, he was met with the daunting figure of his 'boss' who loomed in the darkness.

"Ah, I see you've healed up quite nicely." Said the shadowy figure, pulling a file from his overcoat and tossing it towards the eerie man standing before him.

"I have a job for you." He continued, motioning for him to open the manila envelope.

Opening the envelope, the man's eyes landed on the picture inside. Recognizing the people in the image, his face formed a malicious smile. He would definitely enjoy this.

Seeing the expression on his face, the shadowy figure produced a sadistic smile of his own.

"I'm counting on you… Grimmjow."

* * *

><p><strong>(AN)**

Well I hope that was an enjoyable read. Writing Isshin is so weird.

As for Renji we'll hear his side of the story soon.

And who's the shadowy figure, and what's this 'job'? So mysterious.

Anyway, tell what you think of this chapter.


	3. Friends

**(A/N)**

Chapter Three done! (Only a little late...)

Anyways there's not too much happening this chapter, its more of a lead up to the next one. Just to warn you.

Enjoy!

* * *

><p>Slowly opening her sleep encrusted eyes, Rukia smiled softly at the spectacle, taking place outside her bedroom window. She found herself lost in the blanket of snow that was descending from the heavens in a meticulously choreographed dance.<p>

Watching the glistening snowflakes settle onto a sea of white, Rukia wondered when she had last felt this content. It felt like she had found the piece of her life that had been missing all this time, and was able to fill the empty void inside of her heart. Today she didn't just feel like sleeping. Today… she had a reason to wake up.

Eyeing the clock next to her bed, she looked intently at the numbers displayed on the small screen. For the first time in her life, Rukia didn't sleep in.

Leisurely lifting her legs under the blanket, she slowly wiggled her way to the edge of her bed. Pulling her feet from the warm sheets, she winced in discomfort as her feet came in contact with the cold floor, her toes curling up into a ball as if trying to squeeze extra warmth from her body.

Standing to her feet, Rukia peacefully made her way over to her dresser; pulling out some fresh clothing from one of the drawers. After walking over to the large mirror situated in the far corner of her room, facing it, she began to get changed.

Having extra time because of waking up so early, Rukia decided to dress a little cuter than usual. For some reason, she wanted to make sure she looked good today.

Looking over her image in the mirror, Rukia let a stunning smile grace her face. She definitely looked good.

Moving to the other end of her room, she bent down to grab her bag and walked to the door, not sparing a single glance back as she turned the knob and made her way down the stairs.

Sauntering into the empty kitchen, Rukia placed her bag gently onto the table, motioning to grab the note that was stuck to the fridge with a piece of masking tape.

Glaring hard at the tiny writing, she groaned loudly at its contents.

_Rukia,_

_I left early for the office this morning._

_Eat the breakfast provided, no junk food._

_I'll be having a meeting with my business partner and associates at the house this evening over dinner. I expect you will be too busy to join us._

_Byakuya._

Shredding the note into a thousand pieces and tossing into the garbage, Rukia let out a dejected sigh. '_What the hell am I going to eat for dinner?' _She chuckled dryly. '_Its not like he cares anyway.' _Maybe she could go to the Kurosaki's for dinner again. She would have to remember to ask Ichigo later. '_I'm sure his father would love to have me over again.' _She chuckled lightly. It seemed like Ichigo was the only 'normal' person in his family.

Grabbing the container off the counter containing the bland substance called her breakfast, Rukia began to eat the tasteless goo in silence. She never understood why he made her eat this stupid 'health food' in the first place, if it could even be considered food.

Throwing the empty container into the sink, Rukia grabbed her things off the table and made her way towards the door, making sure to grab a warm coat and some chappy the rabbit mittens on her way.

Opening the front door into a magnificent field of white, she smiled at what she saw. Today was definitely going to be a good day.

* * *

><p>Still sleeping peacefully in his bed, Ichigo was awoken by his crazy father Isshin as he crashed through the door yelling like a lunatic.<p>

"GOOOOOOD, MOOOORNING, ICHIGOOOOO-mph!"

He was quickly silenced as a large foot kicked him in the face, sending him flying back out the door. '_Was I really spawned from this psycho?' _Ichigo thought idly, he was having a really good dream until his father barged in and ruined it.

"Is that any way to treat your own son? What kind of person attacks someone while he's just lying there sleeping?" He yelled at the mound of flesh strewn across the hallway, which was holding its nose in anguish.

"Good kick... my son." Isshin groaned, before passing out from trauma that had been delivered to his skull.

Slamming the door shut, Ichigo retreated into the safe recesses of his inner sanctum. Although that wasn't exactly what one would call an enjoyable method of starting the day, Ichigo didn't let it bother him. He was in an unusually good mood today. For once in his life he thought he might actually enjoy school. Well… at least the parts when he wasn't in class.

Gradually walking towards his closet, Ichigo bent down to grab some clothes from one of the drawers. He wasn't sure why, but for some reason he had an urge to dress a little more fashionable.

After quickly changing into a clean uniform, Ichigo walked over to the small mirror hanging off his wall, and glanced at his appearance. Somehow he got the feeling that he would have to fight his way through hundreds of frenzied girls just to walk through the front door of the school.

Seizing his school bag by the strap, he flung it over his shoulder casually as he made his way out the bedroom door and down the stairs. Stepping downstairs into the kitchen, Ichigo was greeted by a very cheerful Yuzu and a sulking Karin.

"Morning." They both said in unison with conflicting tones.

"Morning." Ichigo replied, grabbing a piece of freshly toasted bread out of the toaster. Snatching his pre-made lunch off the counter, he embarked on his journey out the door, until Yuzu stopped him.

"Wait." She called after him, holding a neatly packed bento in her hands.

"What's this?" Ichigo asked, eyeing the item, which rested atop her hands. "I already grabbed my lunch." He added in confusion.

"This is for Rukia-chan, I wanted to make her lunch." She said, with a happy gleam in her eyes. "You should invite her over again."

Glancing at the girl who was trying to shove the box into his hands, Ichigo smiled softly. "…Yeah."

Staring at her brother's expression in disbelief, Karin couldn't comprehend what she was seeing. Was he… smiling? She couldn't remember the last time she had seen him smile. It just didn't look right on his face.

Scowling harder at the scene, she was pleased when it seemed like some kind of balance had been restored. She didn't want to admit that his happiness was contagious. Even she was beginning to like Rukia.

Receiving the lunch from his sister's grasp, Ichigo swiftly made his way to the front door, pausing to grab a warm scarf off of the coat rack, before entering the frigid field of snow.

Looking at the huge mansion, which lay across the street, Ichigo gulped audibly. Why was he suddenly so nervous? Was that really where she lived?

Walking towards the house with great audacity, Ichigo stopped abruptly on the doorstep. Eyeing some of the sculptures and plants that adorned the entrance, he felt like he was about to enter some type of intricate labyrinth. It was just a _little _intimidating.

Raising his fist to knock on the front door, Ichigo was surprised when it swung open, nearly hitting his face, to reveal a short raven-haired girl who was smiling softly.

"Yo." He greeted awkwardly, while gazing into her deep violet eyes. Somehow she looked different. Letting his eyes travel across her petite figure, the first thing he noticed was how much warmer she was dressed. He inwardly chuckled. '_I guess she learned her lesson yesterday.' _

The next thing that struck him was her hair, which she had clipped back into a tightly coiled bun. Ichigo thought it really suited her. She almost looked cute… almost.

"Hey." Rukia replied just as gawkily, while meeting his gaze. He looked different somehow. Glancing at his bright head of orange, she noticed how his hair appeared to be drooping down over his eyes, giving a sort of mysterious aspect to him.

Moving her stare down towards his chest, she also noticed that he had neglected to tuck in his shirt or tighten his tie around his neck, giving him a rebellious look. Rukia though he pulled it off quite well. He almost looked handsome… almost.

"We should probably get going." Ichigo said, while turning away to scratch the back of his head unnervingly.

"Yeah." Rukia replied softly, stepping through the front door and shutting it behind her.

Walking down the small path that led to the street, she stopped when she noticed no one was following her. Turning to face the orange-haired dope that was staring at the sky like an idiot, she bent down to pick up a small rock that was jutting out from the snow, and threw it at the boy's head.

"OWW, what the fuck?" Ichigo yelled, rubbing the tender lump forming on the back of his head. "What the hell was that for?"

Whirling around to continue walking, Rukia spoke with her back facing him. "That was to wake you up so you'd stop standing around like a moron. We're going to be late for school, idiot."

Following behind her, Ichigo replied in a defeated tone. "Whatever." Its not like he cared if he was late or not.

"You ready for the test today?" He asked, wondering if she had gotten anymore studying done after she had left last night.

Groaning loudly, Rukia responded in a dry voice. "Don't remind me." She stated bleakly.

Peering through the gloomy haze that seemed to surround the girl, Ichigo let out an amused chuckle. "Don't worry so much, you were doing great last night when we were studying." He said, meaning every word. She had improved a great deal during the couple hours they had spent pouring over copious amounts of math notes. "Which reminds me…"

Reaching into the bag slung above his shoulder, Ichigo pulled out the neatly packed bento his sister had given him before he left. "…Yuzu wanted me to give you this." He said, handing the box over to the raven-haired girl.

"That's very thoughtful, tell her I said thank you." She said, pulling the item hesitantly from his grasp, glad that she could actually eat some 'real' food today; delicious food at that.

"There's no need." Ichigo replied, looking off into the distance. "You can tell her yourself when you come over after school." He finished, now gazing into her eyes, hoping she understood what he was implying.

Staring back into the intense sea of amber, Rukia smiled softly. "Yeah."

'_I guess that answers the question of what I'm going to eat for dinner.' _She mused, sighing contentedly Things sure were looking up in her life.

As Ichigo and Rukia continued to walk to school in a peaceful silence, they were unaware of the daunting figure watching them from the shadows, an angry scowl on its face.

* * *

><p>Strolling into the classroom side by side, Ichigo and Rukia were surprised when a fairly energetic girl with short spiky hair, as well as her very cheerful companion greeted them; well… greeted Ichigo. After identifying the two girls, Rukia thought it best to leave Ichigo alone so he could talk to them. One of the girls wasn't exactly 'friendly' towards her.<p>

"Yo, Ichigo." The spiky-haired one called, sending a cold glare at Rukia, who continued walking past the group to her seat, without sparing either of them a second glance.

Noticing the tension between the two, Ichigo couldn't help but stare off in confusion. '_What the hell was that about?' _Figuring he would have a chance to find out later at lunch, he thought it best to catch up with his old friend for now.

"Hey Tatsuki, what's up?" Ichigo replied, while staring at the raven-haired girl who had sat down in her seat without a word.

"Nothing much, just waiting for class to start." She said, turning to face her friend. "You remember Orihime right?" She asked, motioning towards the auburn-haired girl who was clutching her hands together behind her back, while staring at the boy timidly.

"Hello Kurosaki-kun." Orihime said shyly, blushing at her proximity to the boy.

Ichigo inwardly groaned. Why did she have to be here? Whenever Tatsuki would come visit him before he had come back, she would always bring Inoue with her. The girl in question had long flowing auburn hair down to her waist, with a generously curved body and rather large 'assets' situated on her chest, which made most members of the male species drool all over her; Ichigo couldn't care less.

Just talking to her made him want to jump off a cliff. The only reason he put up with her was because she was Tatsuki's friend. It wasn't all bad though… at least she was nice.

"Hey." Came his response in an indifferent tone. Turning his attention back to his childhood friend, Ichigo decided to spark up a conversation so he wouldn't have to talk to Inoue anymore.

"So how was that martial arts tournament?" He asked, not really interested in the answer.

He learned a long time ago that if he really didn't want to talk to someone, it worked best to just keep asking them questions about themselves. Then, while they continued to blabber on about something stupid and irrelevant, he could tune them out and have a couple minutes of peace.

"-Then I knocked her out with one punch, and that was all she wrote." Tatsuki finished, punching her open hand with her fist, while wearing a satisfied smirk.

Yawning in disinterest, Ichigo began to saunter over to his desk as the bell rang. Responding with his back facing her, Ichigo spoke in an apathetic voice.

"Amazing." He replied coolly, ignoring the deadly glare being sent his way.

"You have no idea what I said, do you?" Tatsuki asked angrily. He was always like this.

"Not a clue." He half-yelled across the room as he took his seat next to Rukia, who was chuckling lightly.

"I take it you have a habit of ignoring what people say to you." She commented quietly, making sure that Tatsuki wouldn't be able to hear her.

Moving his gaze to the girl's eyes of shimmering violet, Ichigo spoke in an honest tone, attempting to show his seriousness.

"Depends on the person talking." He said, while giving her a suggestive smirk.

Just when Rukia was about to ask him what exactly he meant by that, she lost her chance as the teacher walked through the door holding a large stack of papers.

"Alright class…" She began cheerily, starting to hand out the papers to some of the students. "…I hope you studied last night, because we're going to have the test first thing this morning."

As she finished, the majority of the class groaned in displeasure. She was pure evil.

Glaring at the sheet off paper as it flopped onto her desk, Rukia took a deep breath to try and calm her nerves. Why was she so nervous anyway? It was just some stupid test… right?

Rukia was woken from her daze as a crumpled up piece of paper came into contact with her forehead, causing her to flinch visibly. Slowly unfolding the paper, she began to read the neat writing that occupied the wrinkled page, her smile growing larger with each word.

_Oi midget, _

_Quit spacing out and get to work._

_I thought I told not to worry about it, you'll do fine._

_The first answer is 'D'… you should be able to do the rest yourself._

_Good luck._

_Ichigo_

_P.S. Meet me on the roof for lunch._

Smiling softly, Rukia quickly jotted down a message of her own, throwing the paper back at the flaming head of orange, who was busy working his way through the problems with ease.

As the folded page slowly floated down, landing on his desk, Ichigo gave the raven-haired girl an inquisitive look, before unfolding the paper to reveal what she had written.

_Oi strawberry, _

_Quit throwing sharp pieces of paper around the room._

_You could hurt someone. :P_

_Thanks for the vote of confidence; I wouldn't mind borrowing some of your calm._

_See you at lunch._

_Rukia_

_P.S. Stop calling me midget!_

Giving each other a meaningful look, the two students were forced to turn their attention back to the task at hand, so as to not alert the teacher of their silent conversation.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Rukia stole another glance at the vile enigma she had once dreaded, and furrowed her brows with confidence; she could definitely do this.

* * *

><p>As the bell rang, signaling the start of lunch. Both Ichigo and Rukia quickly made their way to the rooftop, taking great care to go unnoticed.<p>

Opening the door leading out onto the top of the snow-covered building, they both stood quietly, waiting for the other to speak, as the soft flakes of white gracefully danced around their combined figure.

Moving closer to the girl who had her arms tightly folded in front of her, while gazing into the sky; Ichigo was the first to speak.

"I thought you might enjoy coming out here, seeing as how you love the snow." He stated awkwardly, as he also began to stare up into the sky.

Turning to glance at the boy who was scratching the back of his head nervously, Rukia gave him an appreciative look. '_He sure could be thoughtful at times.' _As she was about to respond with a comment of her own, she was interrupted as Ichigo continued talking.

"…But, that's not the only reason I wanted to bring you here." He finished, now looking her in the eye. "I wanted to ask you something."

His statement perplexed Rukia. '_What? He wants to ask me something? Why couldn't he just ask me inside? And why does he have such a sympathetic look on his face? What could he possibly want to know?'_

Seeing the look of confusion on her face, Ichigo decided it would be best to just come out and ask, before she started to throw stuff at him because of his tendency to zone out during conversations.

As soon as he had this last thought, a rather large snowball hit him in the face; this definitely wasn't going to be a pleasant experience.

"If you have something to ask then ask it already." Rukia said, with a look of impatience. "It's usually helpful to talk when you have something you want to say instead of just standing still and daydreaming." She scoffed lightly.

Staring at the girl in surprise, Ichigo inwardly chuckled. '_She sure was a good motivational speaker.' _Gazing into her dark violet eyes, Ichigo spoke much more assertively than before; he really wanted to know the answer to this question.

"Hey listen, It's not really any of my business but… I was just wondering… why don't you have any friends?" He hadn't seen her talk to anyone but him since he'd been here, and everyone seemed to kind of just ignore her. '_Why?'_

Looking down to the ground with sad eyes, Rukia pondered this question. Why didn't she have any friends? It seemed like everyone made an effort to ignore her. It's not like she had some type of horrible disease or something. Sure she was 'different' and 'Upper class', but that doesn't explain why _everyone _treated her like a ghost.

Looking back up into his intense amber eyes, Rukia spoke in a cheerless tone.

"I wish I knew the answer." She stated sadly. "Sometimes it feels like I don't even exist."

Peering down at her with a look of empathy, Ichigo put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Then what's the deal between you and Tatsuki? The only person I've seen who doesn't ignore you, doesn't like you. What happened?" He asked, genuinely curious as to what would make Tatsuki dislike her.

"It's a long story." Rukia said, not really wanting to talk about it. '_She's his friend right? What if he thinks badly of me for what I did?'_

"I'm sure I can keep up." Ichigo replied, while giving her a soft smile. "Whatever happened won't change my opinion of you." He reassured her, thinking that was why she was being so hesitant.

Returning the small smile, Rukia recalled the events that had taken place just a few months ago; she felt like she owed him an explanation.

_**Enter Flashback**_

_After arriving at school just on time, Rukia quickly made her way to her classroom so as to walk through the door just as the bell rang. This was the strategy she had devised in-order to avoid talking to a specific person._

_She stopped abruptly when said person appeared looming over her._

"_Hey there short-stuff, why in such a rush?" Renji asked, while blocking the hallway so that she couldn't escape._

"_Move." Rukia replied coldly. She learned a long time ago that talking to him proved to be useless._

"_No thanks, I'd much rather stay." He breathed venomously, as he slowly closed the gap between them. _

"_That's a nice necklace you got there." He commented, while fondling the precious heirloom in-between his fingers. _

_The item in question was a locket that was given to her by her sister when she was still a kid. Inside it displayed two pictures of both the girls, who were smiling brightly. Rukia was not going to let anything happen to it._

_It was all she had left._

"_It'd be a shame if something were to happen to it." Renji finished, with a sadistic smile. _

"_Move, or-else." She said, while trying to step past his daunting figure._

_Blocking her escape, Renji grabbed the locket and ripped it from her neck, breaking the thin chain that it was hung by in the process. _

"_Or-else what?" He mocked, dangling the pendant just above her reach as she tried grabbing for it._

"_Or-else you're going to wake up in a hospital bed." Said an unfamiliar voice, echoing through the hall._

_Turning his head to glare at the unwelcome visitor, he dropped the item he had been holding to the ground, and slowly walked away. He did _**not **_want to deal with _her.

_Walking over to the raven-haired girl who was squatting down, trying to salvage the pieces of her broken necklace, which lay strewn across the floor, the girl stuck her hand out in front of Rukia's face._

"_Yo, My names Tatsuki." She informed Rukia in a friendly manner. "Let me help you." She offered, bending over to assist her. Reaching out to grab a small pin that had fallen from the lockets hinge, she was stopped, when Rukia quickly snatched it away and stood to address her._

"_I don't need your help. I can handle it myself." She replied coolly, not wanting to get her involved in her-own mess. _

"_What's that supposed to mean? Is that any way to thank someone?" Tatsuki asked, wanting to know what the hell this girl's problem was._

_Turning around so her back was facing her, Rukia replied in an indifferent tone. "I never asked for your help to begin with. It's none of your concern." She said distantly, as she walked away, not sparing a single glance back. She didn't need people standing up for her. They'd only end up getting hurt later._

_And it would be all her fault._

_**End Flashback**_

"Ever since then she's disliked me. I guess I'm just not a very likable person." She finished, with a far-away look.

Staring at the girl in disbelief, Ichigo spoke with an unyielding tone, attempting to convey his seriousness. "Tatsuki's not the type of person who would understand your reasoning. Even if you explained it to her she'd probably take it as an insult." He said, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Just because one person isn't particularly fond of you, doesn't mean you're unlikable."

Gazing at the retreating form of orange as he made his way towards the exit leading off the roof, Rukia gave him a doubtful look. Not that he could see it anyway; he was leaving no room for debate.

"The way everyone treats me says different. What makes you so sure?" Rukia asked, wanting to know why he would claim such a thing.

Turing around to face her fully, Ichigo gave her a meaningful look.

"Lets just say I speak from personal experience."

"Come on, we should go inside." He said, turning back around, leaving Rukia to gape at him in wonder.

The realization of what was just said dawning on her a few seconds later, Rukia smiled brightly.

"Yeah." She replied, as she followed Ichigo back into the school.

Today was definitely a good day.

* * *

><p>"What? Are you crazy? That's a horrible idea!" Rukia shrieked, trying to reason with the stubborn orange-haired fool; and failing miserably.<p>

"No it's not." Ichigo defended, convinced that his infallible plan would work.

"Nobody wants me there, and I don't want to go, so why should I bother?" Rukia asked, while glaring daggers at the man.

"I want you there." Ichigo said, with a bit of irritation. She sure could be quite tenacious when she wanted to be. "Besides, It won't be so bad. I'm sure Tatsuki won't mind."

"Easy for you to say." Rukia said, still glowering fiercely at him. "If I eat lunch with you and your friends, they're all just going to stare at me like I'm some sort of alien."

Eyeing the raven-haired student with a look akin to that of surprise, Ichigo spoke in a teasing tone.

"So now you're afraid about what people will think of you?" He joked, wanting to invoke a reaction from her. He found it really amusing when she became so flustered.

"What? I'm not afraid! I could care less about what they think." Rukia yelled, not yet ready to admit defeat.

At this, Ichigo felt the corners of his mouth curl up into a mischievous smirk, before replying in a playful nature.

"Oh yeah, then prove it."

"Fine, I will." Rukia snapped, while turning to walk towards the cafeteria; an angry scowl on her face.

Watching the retreating girl with great amusement, Ichigo's mischievous smirk morphed into a small smile.

'_I win.'_

* * *

><p>As the couple walked into the cafeteria alongside one another, Ichigo quickly scanned the room in search of his old friend.<p>

The area in question was packed full of bustling students, who were all continuing with their typical afternoon routines.

Navigating through the large crowd, Ichigo pulled Rukia towards the far corner of the space, ignoring the flirty looks and cheesy pick-up lines being sent his way. '_Maybe I should have thought this through a little more.' _He wasn't particularly fond of all the attention he seemed to be getting.

When a head of spiky-hair became visible in the distance, Ichigo let out a relieved sigh, as he made his way towards it; dragging Rukia behind him, who had suddenly lost all her confidence and was too nervous to protest.

The table coming into view moments later, Ichigo took note of its occupants. Sitting on the far end was Tatsuki, who was next to Inoue as well as many other girls, who Ichigo didn't recognize. He didn't really care who they were, but he certainly knew exactly who he wasn't going to sit by.

Taking great care to pick a seat as far away from Inoue as possible, both Ichigo and Rukia joined the group without a word. Too engrossed in her own conversation to realize, it took Tatsuki a few seconds to acknowledge the new guests.

"Oh, hey Ichigo…" She greeted happily, turning to face Rukia, her face distorted into that of a grimace. "…Kuchiki."

"Yo, Rukia's going to be joining us for lunch, I hope that's not a problem." Ichigo stated, while sending a mini-glare directed towards Tatsuki; he wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"Sure." She replied in a defeated tone. There was no point in arguing. Ichigo was too stubborn for his own good.

Her gaze traveling to the faces of the students in her immediate vicinity, Rukia couldn't help but notice how they all appeared to be… scared. She observed how many of them where looking over their shoulders with a look of panic, as if expecting someone to assault them any minute. In fact, they were looking everywhere except her. '_I knew this was a stupid idea. It's like they're afraid to be seen with me or something.' _Rukia thought, with a forlorn expression. '_Why?'_

Also detecting the general aura of fear being perceived from the local population, Ichigo decided to find out why. He didn't want Rukia to be exiled from the world like an outcast. He wanted her to feel comfortable. She deserved better.

"Hey Tatsuki, can I talk to you for a second? I want to ask you something." Ichigo said as more of a statement then question, thinking she might have the answers he was looking for. "...Alone." He added as an after-thought, not wanting to have the conversation within earshot of Rukia. He needed answers, and whatever they were, he didn't want her to hear them.

"Yeah, I have a few things I want to ask you about as well." Tatsuki answered, while positioning her head at an angle in-order to glare at Rukia. _'Why the hell is she here?'_

Both standing from the table at the same time, the two friends made their way out the door, which was conveniently located just behind where they had been seated.

Watching them walk out the door and into the snow-covered field, Rukia became extremely tense, with the loss of company from a certain orange-haired individual. She was currently surrounded by a group of students who weren't exactly keen on her being there, and the one person who could provide her some form of comfort just left the building. This was _not _where she wanted to be right now.

Just when she thought she would have to move to a secluded area of the room, with the intention of avoiding the hostile looks being received the majority of the tables inhabitants, she was startled when the voice of a very bubbly auburn-haired girl addressed her in a welcoming manner.

"You're Kuchiki-San right?" Inoue asked curiously, seemingly interested in the raven-haired visitor. After receiving a stiff nod form said girl, she continued to speak in a cheerful tone.

"My name's Orihime Inoue, It's nice to meet you." She said with a gracious smile.

Too shocked to respond, Rukia just continued to nod dumbly at her. Why was she being so… friendly? For reasons unknown, everyone in the school was either scared of, or disgusted by her; So why…why did this girl appear to be so happy to see her?

"I've seen you around a lot, Tatsuki says you're not very nice, but I don't think so." Inoue continued, with a dazzling smile. You could practically feel the happiness radiating from her.

Taking a bite for her bizarre looking lunch, Inoue grabbed a chunk of the gelatinous substance and handed it over to Rukia, who was eyeing the mound of goo cautiously.

"Here, try some, it's my special home-made recipe." She said, handing the material over to the girl, who was starring at it with a look of horror.

"It's steamed rice with veggies, udon noodles, rolled omelette, and sweet curry bean paste wrapped in seaweed and covered in chocolate syrup." She finished, a little too enthusiastically.

Gazing at the obscure matter with disgust, Rukia courteously handed it back to the girl, for fear of death if she ate it. '_Is that even edible?'_

"Thanks, but I brought my own lunch." She said politely, trying not to gag. "Maybe next time." She finished, having no intention of doing so.

"Of course, I can give you some of my recipes if you like." Inoue offered, as Rukia pulled out the bento that Ichigo had given her this morning. As she opened the box to reveal the stunning view of Yuzu's marvelous cooking, Inoue's eyes lit up in amazement.

"Wow, that looks awesome, did you make that?" She asked curiously, staring at the delicious-looking food in wonder.

"No, one of Ichigo's sisters made if for me." Rukia stated, noticing how the girl's eyes seemed to glow even brighter at the mention of Ichigo.

With an expression akin to that of jealousy, Inoue responded in a mysterious tone. "You got to meet Kurosaki-kun's family?" She asked, extremely interested in the answer.

"Yeah, I went to his house for dinner last night." Rukia replied, not realizing the magnitude of what had just been said. "His family's really nice." She added, looking around the table, as all of the students within earshot gapped at her in astonishment. '_At least they're not scared of me anymore.' _She mused, not entirely sure why that statement had brought her so much attention.

Once everyone had enough time to process the words that had just been said, the group of students began to bombard Rukia with several perplexing questions, suddenly wanting to know everything about her.

Becoming lost in a sea of mindless chatter and noise, Rukia was brought back to reality when Ichigo and Tatsuki walked back into the room, effectively stopping all conversation.

Seeing how popular Rukia appeared to have become over the course of his absence, a ghost of a smile materialized on Ichigo's face. '_I guess she didn't need my help after all.' _He mused, genuinely happy that everyone seemed to interested in her in a positive way.

Moving her gaze towards the pair of students leisurely approaching the table, Rukia noticed the distant look in Ichigo's eyes as he stared at her, as if he was contemplating something. Looking over at Tatsuki, who seemed to be in a much better mood, she observed how she wasn't glaring menacingly at her, in-fact she almost had an apologetic look on her face. '_What the hell did these two talk about out there?'_

As the two friends both sat down in unison, while sharing a meaningful look, Rukia was startled when Tatsuki addressed her with a sociable approach.

"Hey, I guess we kind of got off on the wrong foot." She said regretfully, while gazing into her deep violet eyes. "As I'm sure you already know, my names Tatsuki. It's nice to meet you." She finished, waiting patiently for a response.

Staring blankly at the spiky-haired girl, Rukia began to blink in confusion. '_What the hell is going on?' _Why was she suddenly being so friendly? Why did she look so sympathetic?

She was awoken from her daze, as napkin collided with her face, causing her to blink in even more confusion.

"Oi, you just gonna sit there at stare off into space, or are you gonna say something." Tatsuki asked, a little irritated with how unresponsive she was being.

Once she had enough time for her brain to register what was happening, Rukia responded in as friendly of a tone as possible.

"Yeah, It's nice to meet you too."

She wasn't going to mess this opportunity up twice. For some reason, she wasn't afraid to make friends anymore. This was just one more step towards the normal life she always wanted, and it was all thanks to a certain orange-haired boy.

* * *

><p>Walking out into the white expanses of the school-yard, which was blanketed in the substance of winter, Rukia stole a glance towards her orange-haired companion. She really wanted to thank the idiot, after all, his 'plan' –if it could even be called that to begin with- did work. And Rukia was thankful for that.<p>

Remembering what had happened at lunch, a small smile crawled onto her face. People were actually taking an interest in her, and not just because of her relation to Ichigo. After their questions about his family had ceased, they started asking questions about her family. Although it wasn't like she had much to divulge in that aspect of her life. It felt like she had carved out a place in society where she belonged.

Gazing into his honey-amber eyes, Rukia noticed how they appeared to be clouded-over in deep thought. She could almost see the gears turning inside his brain. '_What could he be thinking about?'_

"Hey, you okay?" She asked. Concerned with how distant his mind seemed to be from reality.

Looking down into her eyes of sparkling violet, Ichigo smiled softly. He couldn't remember the last he had smiled so much in one day. He was really glad that Rukia was able to make some friends without his help. He still wasn't entirely sure why, but a part of him just wanted to see her happy. It was like her happiness was some kind of contagious virus that had infected him as well.

"Yeah." He replied, completely forgetting what it was he was originally thinking about. Just being around her put him at ease.

The couple was interrupted, when both Tatsuki and Inoue came running frantically out of the building, shouting after them.

"Hey, you guys, wait up." Tatsuki yelled, finally catching up to the pair. "Were you just going to leave us behind or something?" She asked, not exceedingly pleased by the given response.

"Yeah, I was thinking about it." Ichigo replied, earning him a swift punch to the face.

"Why you…" Tatsuki seethed, clenching her fist tightly. He sure could be irritating sometimes.

Sniggering at the scene, Rukia placed herself in-between the two friends, preventing the situation from escalating any further. She was really beginning to like Tatsuki, she kind of reminded Rukia of herself… only more violent.

"Knock it off already, we should get going before the place closes." Rukia said, excited about getting to see their destination up close. At lunch they had decided to go to the theme park in-order to 'celebrate' Ichigo's move, and -thanks to a very persuasive orange-haired boy- Rukia was invited to come along.

She had never been to one before, not even as a kid. Lets just say that the phrase 'money can't buy you happiness' defined Rukia's life. Byakuya would always buy her expensive clothing among other miscellaneous items for the purpose of –what Rukia assumed was an attempt of- making up for his lack of presence in her life. Material possessions couldn't make up for real life experiences, nor could it replace the childhood that was robbed from her.

Seeing how distant her eyes became after she'd gotten lost in her own thoughts, Ichigo gave her a reassuring smile. He could tell how enthusiastic she was about going. That's why he wanted her to come in the first place. He could lie to himself and say it was just so he wouldn't have to talk to Tatsuki, or -god forbid- Inoue, but he really just wanted her to have some fun. He wanted to show her that she _did_ have friends, and that they were committed to showing her what she had been missing in all these years of loneliness.

"Come on, let's go." Ichigo said, putting his hand over her shoulder comfortingly, as they began to walk casually down the street.

Watching the entire scene unfold in front of her, Inoue felt a twinge of envy course through her body. She had a crush on Ichigo since the first day they had met. She would give anything to have him look at her that same way he looked at Kuchiki-San. She had been alone most of her life, just like her. She really liked her. So much so that she wished she could be her, just so she could get closer to him. It felt like with every step she took towards him, he took two steps back. Why was fate so cruel?

Seeing the sad look in her friend's eyes, Tatsuki attempted to cheer her up with some encouraging words.

"Don't look so down Orihime, it's just a matter of time before he notices you." She said, with a satisfied smirk that quickly morphed into a large frown with her friend's next words.

Looking to the ground, with her face hidden behind her auburn hair, Inoue replied with her voice lacking its usual cheerfulness. "I wish I could believe that."

* * *

><p>Arriving at the theme park within a few minutes, Ichigo's eye began to twitch in exasperation when he noticed the theme.<p>

Glaring up at the large pink rabbit, which was situated just above the entrance, he sighed dejectedly. '_Why the hell did I agree to this again?'_

His depressing aura was shattered, when a very excited Rukia started jumping up and down in glee.

"Oh my god, Chappy! I love Chappy!" She exclaimed, in great delight.

Ichigo inwardly chuckled. '_At least one of us is happy.' _He mused, his mood lightening considerable once seeing the excited gleam in her eyes. Maybe this wouldn't be as bad as he thought.

After attaining their tickets for admission into the park, the group decided to find a place were they could eat something before exploring further. An ice-cream stand coming into view seconds later, the gang began to saunter over to the structure with hungry eyes. Who cares if it was winter? The distribution of frozen cream was not to be dictated by the season, not so long as Ichigo had a say in it. He was beginning to like this place more and more every second.

Walking up to the stand, Tatsuki and Inoue were the first to order, leaving Ichigo and Rukia by themselves as they went to over to sit on a nearby bench.

"What do you want?" Ichigo asked, while eyeing the list of options colorfully painted on a sign next to them.

"I haven't decided yet, they all look good." She replied, still gawking at the sign, her mind not really registering what she was looking at.

Stepping up to the front of the structure, Ichigo spoke his order to the man, who had been patiently waiting for them to decide.

"I'll take two hot-fudge sundaes." He said, with his gaze still fixated on Rukia. If she wasn't going to order something, he was going to do it for her.

The two delicious-looking frozen deserts arriving minutes later, Ichigo shoved one into the grasp of one raven-haired girl, who was staring off into space, successfully snapping her out of her daze.

"What's this?" Rukia asked, while staring at the chocolaty cream in wonder.

"It's food." He answered lamely, as he made his way over to the bench inhabited by their companions. "Lets go sit down."

"Yeah." She said, while nodding her head slightly; oblivious to the fact that Ichigo had just paid for her sundae.

Sitting down next to their cohorts, Ichigo and Rukia began to eat their ice cream quietly, as a comfortable silence enveloped the group of friends.

Using the opportunity to examine her current surroundings, Rukia's gaze traveled to the many colorful booths that lined the main path, leading into the heart of the establishment. Peering through the large crowd, her head stopped when her eyes landed on a fairly plump, and extremely cute Chappy the rabbit stuffed animal.

Seeing her dark orbs of violet sparkle with delight in the fading afternoon sun, Ichigo moved to find what she was staring at. Looking over to one of the stands, he noticed a rather large pink rodent hanging from the side labelled as a prize. '_So that's what she's looking at.' _He thought idly, the beginnings of a brilliant plan forming in the recesses of his mind. If she wanted that stupid fluff-ball, then he would get it for her.

The peaceful silence was ended, when both Tatsuki and Inoue –who had already finished eating-, called back to the couple, as they began to walk towards one of the busier shops in the park.

"Me and Orihime are going to go get our faces painted. We'll meet you back here later okay?" Tatsuki yelled, past the sound of hurried steps and meaningless chatter coming from the large crowd, now situated between the two.

"Yeah." Ichigo yelled back, pleased that a method of unobtrusively ditching the pair had been found. It might be considered rude, but he didn't care. If Ichigo had his way, he wouldn't be seeing them until tomorrow.

Turning to look at his raven-haired companion, he courteously grabbed the empty container out of her grasp, as she took the last bite of her ice cream; throwing it into a nearby trash-can.

"C'mon, we might as well have some fun while we're here." Ichigo said, depositing his hand in front of her with the purpose of helping her stand.

Taking the hand offered, Rukia was quickly yanked to her feet, where immediately afterwards, she found herself being dragged towards one of the stalls that she had been looking at earlier.

Arriving at the stand seconds later, Ichigo paid the attendant so that he could attempt to complete the trial, in-order to win the prize.

The challenge in question, was a set of elaborately arranged posts stuck in the ground at varying distances from a small table, which had a pile of hoops stacked on it. Reading the sign, which was hung above the counter, Rukia stared off in confusion.

'Ring Toss: throw a hoop successfully over every post and win the grand prize.'

"What are you doing?" She asked, curious as to why he would be interested in such a silly thing.

"I'm going to win that stupid fur-ball." Ichigo said, pointing to the declared object, which was sitting off to the side with a small sign reading 'grand prize'.

Now Rukia was even more confused. "What do you mean you're going to 'win' it? Why would you even want it in the first place? It's not going to be that easy you know." She said, still completely baffled as to why he seemed so determined about getting a giant pink bunny.

"I _don't_ want it." Ichigo stated mater-o-factly. "Just shut up and watch." He said, walking up to the table and grabbing the stack of hoops up in one hand.

As Ichigo began to hurl the small metal rings towards the targets, Rukia could only gape in astonishment at the mind-boggling performance that was taking place in front of her.

Completing the challenge in five-seconds flat, Ichigo went over to the stall to receive his reward, before coming back to Rukia who was still gawking at the boy in wonder.

"That was amazing!" She exclaimed, now looking at the pink rabbit with large eyes.

"Your sisters would love this." She added, after concluding that they were the only logical people to give it to. After all, he didn't seem to keen on even holding it.

"You're right, they would love it." He said, gazing up at the clouds. "But they're not who I won it for."

As he handed the object over to her, Ichigo smiled softly as her eyes began to sparkle in joy. It was definitely worth it.

"You're giving it to me?" Rukia asked in an emotional voice, returning a small smile of her own.

"I wouldn't get that 'thing' for anyone else." He said, still looking off into the distance. For some odd reason, he was beginning to respect the rabbit.

His gaze was stopped when he came across a large structure obstructing the horizon. He knew exactly where he wanted to go next.

Walking up to the large Ferris wheel that was located in the midst of the park, Ichigo paid for Rukia's admission before entering the attraction. As the wheel began to turn moments later, he inwardly chuckled at the expression on Rukia's face. She could be pleased by the simplest of things.

Reaching the crest of the ride, Rukia let out a long breath as the full view of a dazzling sunset became visible.

"This is such a great view. It's beautiful." She breathed, staring out the window with great interest.

Gazing into her eyes of glistening violet, Ichigo replied without sparing a single glance at the spectacle.

"Yeah, it is."

As the two friends continued there joyous evening in tranquility, they were unaware of the shadowy figure who had perched himself in the car behind them; his face glowing crimson with the dying sun, like a sea of blood.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN)**

WARNING: next chapter will contain the answers to many of the following questions.

- What did Ichigo and Tatsuki talk about at lunch?

- Who has been following Ichigo and Rukia around?

- What does Renji think about Rukia's current situation?

- Just who is Byakuya's business partner?

And remember, reviews help! If you like a scene in the story, or have an idea about something you want to see happen, tell me. If you're lucky, I will incorporate it into a later chapter.

Cheers!


	4. Confrontation

**(A/N)**

Yay! Finally had enough time to finish this. (I'm starting to think I have too many hobbies...)

Anyway, I wasn't able to fit in everything I wanted to into this chapter so I guess it will be in the next one.

Sorry for the long absence, I'll try to update sooner next time.

Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I do NOT own Bleach or any Bleach affiliates.

* * *

><p>Staring at the smiling face of the raven-haired girl next to him, Ichigo couldn't help but produce a small smile of his own. Whenever he was with her, it felt like the whole world disappeared around him, and in its place, a new world was created. It was a peaceful world, free from the horrendous tribulations that plagued his life. A place where he could take off the mask, and let his soul rise to the surface; revealing his true self. An isolated chamber filled with a soothing aura of warmth, where only the two were permitted entry. The place that made him wish he could stay forever. Just her presence was enough to put him at ease.<p>

As he peered in to her hazy eyes of glistening violet, Ichigo suddenly felt his chest tighten from what could only be described as a nameless emotion; she really was beautiful.

Gazing off into the horizon, filled with the intangible hue of the waning winter sun, Rukia glanced back at the orange-haired boy who was eyeing her fervently. Looking up into his burning eyes of intense amber, it felt as if a surge of warmth had extended from his being, and reached out to her soul. His gaze was strong, but not piercing, giving it a protective quality. She felt safe in his presence, like nothing bad could happen as long as he was next to her. It was a feeling she had never felt before; it felt like she belonged.

Staring at his defined figure, tinged with the bright orange glow of the dying sun, Rukia's heart skipped a beat. How could one person make her feel so many different emotions? Being with him not only made her feel like she belonged, or that she was safe; it made her feel alive. For too long, she'd had no reasons to live life. For too long, she couldn't find her place in this world. For too long, she was alone. No longer.

As the ride came to a slow halt, Ichigo and Rukia quickly stepped from the car and made their way down the large path passing through the center of the park, which was now practically devoid of people given the time of day.

"Hey, I'm going to go find a restroom real quick." Ichigo said, appearing to have some sort of bowel issues from staying cooped up in the Ferris wheel for so long.

"I'll be back in a bit. You can wait over there if you want." He offered, while pointing over to one of the many benches that lined the path; a small streetlamp positioned above it.

"Yeah." Rukia replied, trying to hold back laughter as Ichigo turned to make a dash for the nearest bathroom facility. '_What an idiot.'_

Walking up to the small bench protruding from the shadows, she sat down near the edge; resting her head in-between her hands. The sun had already disappeared behind the distant mountains, no longer sharing its warmth with the world. Instead, it was replaced by the white figure of a full moon, who's ominous glow filled the night sky.

In some ways, Rukia could relate herself to the moon. During the day they could both be seen but were never noticed. They both lived in their own worlds, separated from the rest of society. The night is when they thrived, watching the world as it sleeps. But no matter how beautiful the moon is when seen from the sky, without the warmth of the sun it will never shine. As long as the sun continues to lend its strength to the moon, the moon, in return will become a beacon of light for those who are left stranded in the darkness. It will reach out into the shadows, where the sun dare not tread; where it cannot reach.

As she stared down at the snow-covered walkway, which was dimly lit by the small lamppost off to her side, Rukia was startled when a very large and mysterious figure appeared looming over her; enveloping her in darkness.

"It's a bit late for a little girl to be sitting out all alone, don't you think?" Came the muffled voice of the ghostly form towering over her. "Why don't you let me join you?"

As the man began to sit down next to her, Rukia's brows furrowed together in anger once his face had emerged from the shadows. Glaring hard at the red-haired man who was returning her stare with an equally menacing look, she felt an unexpected wave of confidence rush over her.

"That's a nice rabbit you got there." Renji stated, eyeing the pink bunny as if formulating some type of sinister plot. Whatever twisted fantasy he was concocting under that thick skull of his, Rukia did not plan on letting it become reality. She wasn't scared of him, and she certainly wasn't going to let him step all over her, not this time. It was about time she learned to stand up for herself.

"What did you come here for Renji?" Rukia asked, assuming he had been following them. She seriously doubted he would pick a place like this to go on an evening stroll. '_What the hell does he want?'_

"I don't know what you mean." He defended, with his voice laced in fake innocence.

"I was just out admiring the view."

"Cut the crap. I know you've been following us. If you have something to say it would be wise to spit it out while you still have the change." Rukia snapped, with a vicious scowl on her face. She didn't want to talk to him any longer than was already necessary. If she –more like he- was lucky, he might leave before Ichigo got back.

"Fine." Renji breathed, his voice suddenly becoming extremely serious. "I came here to give you a warning." He said with a frightening expression, trying to be as intimidating as possible.

"I want you to stay away from that orange-haired freak, and any of his friends. Otherwise someone might just end up getting hurt." He finished, implying that the person in question would not be her, rather someone she cared about.

Rukia wasn't having any of it. His threats no longer held any validity. She wasn't afraid of dragging Ichigo into her mess anymore. He had promised to help her shoulder this burden, and she intended to let him do just that. It's not like he could do him any harm in the first place, at least not from what she had witnessed at lunch the previous day. As far as she could tell, he was all talk; just like always.

"Is that all?" Rukia asked, completely unaffected by his coercion. She wasn't going to let him boss her around like that. It shouldn't be any of his business regarding whom she spends her time with. '_Who does he think he is?'_

"It is." Renji replied coolly, as he continued to glare dagger at the girl, who was now staring off in disinterest. Although he was putting up a cool front, Renji had no idea what was going on. Why wasn't he getting any kind of reaction out of her? Was she no longer concerned about the repercussions of her actions? Didn't she realize that she was in no position to refuse?

Renji was at a loss for words. Things weren't supposed to go this way. She was supposed to listen to his ploy and stay away from that fruit-basket. She was supposed to fear his empty threats. She was supposed to walk away and never look back. She was supposed to be alone; just like him.

Maybe she just needed a little more persuading.

Before Renji had a chance to begin spewing out more meaningless threats, Rukia quickly interrupted him, with a very solemn expression on her face.

"Well, if that's all you came to say then I suggest you leave." She said, still facing away from him. "I have nothing I want to discuss with you."

Glaring fiercely at the girl, Renji replied in a near-shout, enraged by the fact she was being so nonchalant about all of this.

"Oh, so you have nothing to discuss with me do you? Well that's too bad because I have a hell of a lot of things I would like to discuss with you. Can't you see that you're in no position to be ordering me around? What could someone like you possibly do? Give me one good reason why I should walk away, when I have every reason to be here." Renji fumed, his face almost as red as his hair. Rukia wanted to laugh at how much he resembled a tomato. What a hothead.

After Renji had finished his rant, both him and Rukia were surprised to hear a third voice respond from the darkness.

"So, you want a reason to leave?" Asked the murky figure, as he slowly emerged from the shadows. "How about I give you several?" He finished, cracking his knuckles loudly.

As the man's identity slowly became distinguishable from the shadowy backdrop, Renji's face twisted in disgust when a bright mop of orange haired appeared.

Sending a death glare towards the unwelcome guest, Renji's face darkened by several shades of red; he was pissed. "I came here to talk to Rukia, not you. This is none of your concern, so leave." He said, as a deathly aura surrounded him.

"Huh, that's funny…" Ichigo laughed, with absolutely no humor present in his tone. "…Because she doesn't seem to want to even be near you. I, on the other hand, have a lot of things I'd like to discuss with you. I think I'll be staying right where I am." He seethed, becoming increasingly angry at the redheaded freak, knowing all of the pain he had caused for Rukia. If he wanted a fight, then he would get a fight.

"Can't you see that _you're_ in no position to be giving orders? What could someone like _you_ possibly do? Give me one good reason why I should _**let **_you walk away, when I have every reason to take that ability from you." Ichigo continued, not at all ready to hear the words that were said in retaliation.

"Huh, you're right, that really is funny. Last time I checked, I had the right to talk to whomever I want in private. Didn't your mommy ever teach you not to eavesdrop? Oh, wait sorry, of course she didn't. After all, she's probably just as much of a fuck up as you." Renji said, realizing after that he had struck a nerve.

Although, he didn't realize just how big that nerve was. If he was lucky, he might not have to find out.

Ichigo didn't think he ever wanted to kill any one person more than he did right now.

This was no longer about protecting Rukia, nor was it about reaping vengeance for her suffering. This was now personal; and Ichigo was well aware of it.

As Rukia looked back and forth between the two men, who were currently having some sort of testosterone battle, she couldn't help but shake her head at the scene. She was thankful for Ichigo's help, but unfortunately for her, the way he was 'helping' would quickly end up transforming the scene from a conversation into a fistfight. Why couldn't they just settle this like civilized people and talk things out? Rukia mentally smacked herself after this last thought. After Renji's last comment she doubted Ichigo would be inclined to use words over fists.

She just didn't want to see anyone get hurt; Renji included.

Speaking several inaudible phrases under his breath, Ichigo directed a look towards the red haired man, which promised that of an early death.

"What'd you say, punk?" Renji asked in a low growl, wondering what the hell this fruit-head was mumbling about. He didn't care if this freak was stronger than him; he still had a few tricks up his sleeve.

"I said…" Ichigo began, with an ominous look in his eyes. "…You should leave while you still can. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that you won't find yourself waking up in a ditch covered in blood tomorrow morning."

Gazing into Ichigo's eyes of flaming amber, which were both burning fiercely in uncontrollable rage, Rukia took a step closer to the boy. She had never seen this side of him before. It was different when he was fighting to protect someone. When someone was in danger he seemed to push aside his hatred, which was directed towards the one causing harm, and focus on helping the victim. This time it was the exact opposite.

There was no one in danger. He was letting his carnal urge to fight rise to the surface, and control him. She had only known him for less than two days, but for some reason, Rukia felt like it could have been years. It was like he became a completely different person around her, his true self. She felt like if she could strip Ichigo down the core of his soul, all that would remain would be the desire to protect, and the urge to do battle; just like yin and yang. They were two polar opposites, which came together to form one being. It was the desire to prevent conflict by creating conflict. Despite the situation, Rukia was able to find some humor in her own thoughts; everything about him was a paradox.

Stepping in-between the two enraged men, who were staring at each other with looks so menacing they would frighten a serial killer, Rukia placed her hands atop Ichigo's shoulders; looking into his orbs of intense amber as she spoke.

"Ichigo, calm down." She whispered quietly, giving him a meaningful look. "Lets go. Fighting him won't solve anything." She finished, her eyes pleading with his, telling him to stop. "Please."

As she did this, Ichigo's stature relaxed considerably. She was right.

Kicking this pineapples ass wouldn't change a thing. It didn't matter how much he wanted to punch the guys face in. Words, once said, cannot be taken back; neither can actions. Ichigo Kurosaki was not one to back down from a fight, but why should he let his actions define him. No matter how hard his body urged him to lunge forward, Ichigo refused to comply. He wouldn't fight him… for her sake.

"Yeah." Ichigo replied, as he let out a long breath, his eyes still burning holes through the red-haired menace. Just because he was resisting the urge to beat the man, didn't mean he hated him any less than he had originally. If he ever saw his face again, he swore to himself he would make it impossible for anyone to identify the body. Of course, this was assuming Rukia was not in their presence. He didn't want her to see half the things he felt like doing to the guy. After what he had learned from Tatsuki at lunch, he was fairly certain no one would be missing him; Ichigo surely wouldn't.

Grabbing Rukia's frail arms by the wrist, Ichigo gently lowered them down to her side from where they had been resting atop his shoulders.

"Lets go." He said, as he let one hand return to its place at his side, while the other slid down her arm, grasping her hand tightly.

Staring at the retreating figures fading into the twilight, Renji began to glow white in uncontainable anger. They were… running away? The man who gave Renji the impression of someone who desired to permanently 'dispose' of him… was running away. '_What the hell?'_

"Oi, you just going to run home to mommy, or are you and I going to settle things?" Renji asked, attempting to provoke the boy with no avail.

"What's the matter? You scared? How pathetic. Here I thought you were supposed to be some kind of protector." He continued, while glaring daggers into the back of his skull.

"It baffles me, really. How are you able to protect her so vigilantly…" He asked, motioning towards Rukia. "…Yet when it comes to your own mother, you just stand there and _**DO NOTHING**_."

As Ichigo stared at the red-haired man with a barren gaze, Rukia saw a twinge of guilt cross his face. She knew he wouldn't let a comment like that just slip by. She didn't intend on letting Renji get away with it either.

Just as he was about to clobber the asshole, Ichigo was stopped mid-swing when said man keeled over in excruciating pain, his hand tightly gripping his manhood.

"Just shut the hell up already." Rukia commented, aggravated by his attempt to goad Ichigo into a fight. For some reason, she felt as if a new power had been bestowed upon her. She was in control now.

Moving his gaze over to the raven-haired girl whose foot was firmly planted in-between Renji's legs, Ichigo couldn't help but smile a little at the scene. That was probably more painful than any beating he could have personally delivered to the idiot. He has witnessed the power of Rukia's kick first hand, and lets just say it was a force to be reckoned with. Just the thought of its influence being placed anywhere near his future children frightened Ichigo more than any feasible entity in existence; he was sure to have nightmares later tonight.

Suddenly, without any knowledge of it ever happening, Ichigo's enclosure of pain and sorrow seemingly vanished into thin air. In its place, a sentiment of pride was found. This pleasant new feeling was directed towards the smirking raven-haired girl who was wearing an expression, which depicted that of victory.

He was glad that she was able to take her own initiative and fight back against the _thing_ that had taken so much from her. It was a lot more than she knew, or would ever know. Ichigo didn't even want to refer to _it _as a person; after all, anyone who thinks with that much twisted logic couldn't be thought to possess a human brain.

As Renji fell to the ground with a heavy thud, Ichigo winced out of instinct for the man, who was currently unable to do it himself caused by his lack of consciousness. Even if he did hate his guts, Ichigo still felt a shred of sympathy towards the guy. He definitely wouldn't be in any sort of respectable state once he woke up in a couple of hours.

Gazing at Rukia's tiny figure, as she attempted to drag the inert object underneath a small overhang, Ichigo began to scratch the back of his head in confusion.

"What are you doing?" He asked, curious as to why she was trying to drag something more than twice her size across a cobblestone path, with no apparent purpose behind it.

"We can't just leave him lying in a heap of snow like that, get over here and help me." Rukia demanded, still trying to move the motionless cadaver without triumph.

"Yes, we can." Came his immediate reply, as he stared at the girl in bewilderment. What possible set of circumstances would require him to put any sort of effort into helping someone like that?

"No, we can't." She said in defiance. "It's the middle of winter. If we leave him out here like this he might get hypothermia." She finished, now standing with her hands at her hips, and her brows furrowed in mild annoyance. Why did he have to argue about the stupidest things?

"So let me get this strait. You're worried about the health and well being of someone whom you, just seconds ago, physically assaulted and left incapacitated?" Ichigo teased, now trying to invoke some kind of reaction from her.

Unfortunately, all he received in return was a cold glare, which clearly reciprocated the message that he was not to challenge her judgment. Her terrifying gaze was articulating the fact that he would be next if he refused to do as instructed.

Letting out a long irritated sigh, Ichigo moved to assist the bossy four-foot she-devil, refusing to admit that there was a minute amount of truth to what she had said. Beating some sense into the moron was one thing; potentially killing him was something entirely different.

Depositing Renji's body underneath a small awning suspended above one of numerous shops, which was currently closed, they positioned him so that he was sufficiently sheltered from any wind or snow.

Staring at the fatigued girl who was slumped over and panting for breath, seemingly exhausted from having to move the lifeless body such a great distance, Ichigo –who was completely unfazed by the excursion- offered a hand to the tired mass of flesh; helping her to her feet.

"Thanks, I think we should go and meet up with your friends now. They're probably wondering where the hell we are." Rukia said, as she ran her hands down the front of her coat, ridding it of any invisible specks of dirt that may have been residing in the fabric.

"Let them wonder." Ichigo replied, now gazing off into the night sky, watching the moon and stars as they fought to see who could shine brightest.

"I don't really feel like talking to them right now. Oh, and they're not just _**my**_ friends… they're _**your **_friends too, _**our**_ friends. Besides… I'm the one who should be saying thank you." He finished, now looking directly into her eyes.

The silent message being transmitted through his blazing orbs of amber conveying everything that couldn't be said.

"Yeah." Rukia breathed, still not accustomed to the fact that she now had people she could truly call 'friends'. She definitely deserved the thank you. Without her help, the idiot would probably be covered in blood right about now, the red liquid not belonging to its occupant. He was hopeless when it came to these situations.

"Well even if we aren't going to meet up with _**our**_ friends…" She amended, enjoying how the words felt as they rolled off her tongue. "…We should still start heading home soon before we get trapped in here." She finished, not wanting to stay confined in a Chappy-themed amusement park all night.

Even if she did _**love **_Chappy, there was such a thing as too much. Rukia would consider sleeping outside in the cold, completely surrounded by the likeness of a very cute and cuddly pink rabbit going a little overboard; just a little.

"That's probably a good idea." Ichigo said, with a totally different and unrelated plan forming in the recesses of his mind. "You go on ahead, my stomach's acting up again. I'll meet you out front." He offered, while faking the need to release his bodily fluids.

He didn't want her to see what he was about to do.

Once Rukia had disappeared into the darkness, Ichigo slowly crept up to the shady figure of the red-haired man, whom he had been ready to beat the living daylights out of moments earlier. Sending a cold glare directed at the corpse who was snoring loudly, he began to pull several objects from his school bag.

After fiddling with said items for an unknown amount of time, Ichigo put all but one of them back into their respective places. Bending down next to his shadowy form, he slipped the mysterious item into one of his pockets, making sure it was securely fastened before walking away; a solemn expression on his face.

If everything went as planned, that would be the last time he would have to see his sorry excuse for a face again, ever.

* * *

><p>"What the hell were you doing that took so long?" Rukia asked, as she continued to tap her foot rhythmically in impatience.<p>

"I was… uhh, busy with… stuff." Ichigo replied lamely, while scratching the back of his head in nervousness. What the hell was he supposed to say to that? Lying to her just didn't seem right.

Before his brain had enough time to supply her with a sufficient excuse, Ichigo's mouth was met with a handful of frigid snow; effectively stopping all thought processess.

Coughing up chunks of the icy fluff he was currently choking on, Ichigo began to stumble forward in an attempt to keep his balance. Grabbing onto the slender arm of the raven-haired girl, who appeared to be finding some humor in the situation, his feet chose that exact moment to tread upon one of the patches of slick ice that beleaguered the frost-covered ground.

Falling to the ground with an audible thump, any remnants of the white powder still lodged in his throat where quickly expelled as Rukia silently fell after him before landing in his embrace; inadvertently elbowing him in the stomach.

Once Ichigo had finished wheezing in distress and was able to collect some form of mental consciousness, he sent a foreboding glare directed at the girl who continued to laugh at his expense.

"What the hell did you do that for?" He asked, curious to find out the reason behind why she was being so abusive. It wasn't exactly doing wonders for his physical health.

"To get that stupid look off your face." Rukia replied quickly, laying in the snow next the boy with a satisfied smirk.

"Plus, I enjoy seeing you in pain." She added as a joke, wanting to see how he might react to this new-found false knowledge.

Rolling over to face in the opposite direction, a mischievous smirk began to form on the boys lips. If she thought he was going to let her get away with admitting something like that; she was wrong.

"Is that so?" Ichigo asked, as he turned his head abruptly to see the look of confusion plastered onto the girls face; his arms hidden behind his back. '_How about a taste of your own medicine?'_

Before she could seize the opportunity to question his bizarre actions, Rukia's face was met with a rather large cloud, consisting of a very familiar white and powdery substance.

"I guess I'm no better." Ichigo choked, in-between spurts of laughter caused by seeing the dazed expression that covered the girls exterior. '_Priceless.'_

Of course, Rukia was not one to leave things with the scoreboards tied; the one flaw in his plan that Ichigo appeared to have overlooked. She always got the last laugh; always.

With this, a fierce battle of ice and snow ensued amongst the frigid ground; a volley of playful giggles and startled yelps breaking through the veil darkness.

* * *

><p>Watching the scene from a distance so as to hide her presence, a young auburn-haired girl began to clutch at her chest, which for some unknown reason appeared to be in considerable pain.<p>

Why did if feel like she was getting sick? Why was she suddenly becoming dizzy? Why were there tears streaming down her face?

Why did her heart feel like it was slowly being torn apart?

Forced to turn away because of the tormenting images that flooded her mind, Inoue collapsed to the ground, as a dismal and distraught aura enveloped her; her eyes closed in anguish.

What was wrong with her? Why was she getting so upset over something so trivial? They were just having some fun, right? There was nothing romantic about it. So what was this strange emotion she was feeling?

The way Kurosaki-kun was looking at her was so different then the way he looked at everyone else. The rare smile that was tugging on his lips conveying his current happiness. He was happy. Why was that realization making her sad? Could it be because it wasn't her that was making him happy? How could she be so selfish? Why did she have to feel this way? Why was it that no matter how hard she tried to deny such feelings, all she wanted was to become just like _her_? She should be proud of who she is, right? So then why? Why? WHY?

Why was she so jealous of Kuchiki-san?

As the disheartened girl let her gaze slowly drop to the ice-encrusted ground in hopes that it may provide an answer, she was startled when the sound of footsteps treading through the soft snow became audible in the distance; the noise growing louder with each stride.

"There you are!" Exclaimed Tatsuki, her pace quickening considerably as she quickly headed towards her closest friend.

"It looks like Ichigo left already." She continued, seemingly unaware of her partners grim mood. "Knowing him he probably ditched Kuchiki-san the first chance he got and made a dash to safety."

Letting her head sink further into her lap, Inoue began to relive all the horrible images that had plagued her mind just moments before; as the tears once again began to silently roll down her face.

"Speaking of which, I haven't seen her around either." Tatsuki continued, still not able to detect her friends grief.

"Anyways, you can always count on Ichigo to run away from any sort of social gathering, that man just doesn't know how to communicate. It kind of pisses me off." She finished, with her hands now tightly balled into fists as she stared off angrily.

"Hey Orihime, you okay?" Tatsuki finally asked, becoming worried about how her regularly bubbly and talkative friend was being so quiet. '_Did something happen?'_

Raising her head slightly to look her in the eye, Inoue tried to muster up a small smile so as to not give her any unnecessary worries; despite failing miserably "Yeah I'm fine Tatsuki, we should get going too. It's getting pretty late."

Staring back at the disheartened girl in a near state of shock, Tatsuki couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes, which in the past had sparkled so brightly with passion and joy, were now dull and lifeless. The smile that was capable of enhancing even the worst of days had lost its warmth. What could possible make one of the most cheerful and lively people on earth so sad and lethargic? She didn't look hurt or anything.

She knew Orihime had been looking forward to seeing Ichigo ever since she found out about him moving back. Was she just upset because she didn't get to talk to him that much? No. It would have to be something a lot worse than that to get her so down. Was it something he said to her maybe? Damn that Ichigo! She would have to remember to give him a piece of her mind later.

Placing a comforting hand atop her shoulder, Tatsuki spoke in a near whisper while helping the disheveled girl to her feet.

"Yeah, lets go home."

* * *

><p>Still warring with the five-foot villain in a turbulent clash of authority, Ichigo refused to believe the fact that he was losing. '<em>How the hell is she so fast?'<em>

'_Must be because she's so small.' _He mused, the momentary lapse in concentration costing him another devastating blow to his abdomen.

"You're slow." Rukia commented, as several more snowy projectiles made contact with the irritated man who was barely visible under a thick coat of white.

"I sure hope that isn't the extent of your abilities, otherwise I just might end up fainting of boredom. At least try and make it a challenge for me." She joked, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Of course not! I'm just going easy on you." Ichigo replied, wishing his statement was true. It was the only thing he could tell himself so as to protect any form of pride he may still have left. At the rate things were going now, he didn't expect he would be able to hold on to it much longer.

"Besides, It's not like you could faint from boredom."

"Well if you don't step it up soon we might just find out." Rukia teased, while tossing several more hazardous projectiles towards his face.

Preparing to dodge the incoming wall of snow, Ichigo's attention was quickly diverted by the sounds of footsteps, and a familiar voice approaching their location.

Ignoring the white powder being thrust down every orifice located on the anterior portion of his body, he quickly dove towards the raven-haired girl with lightning quick reflexes, pushing both of them behind a large snow bank; concealing their presence.

As the footsteps slowly began to fade away, Ichigo silently applauded his efforts. After recognizing one of the voices as Tatsuki's, he knew he would have to hide, and fast. He really didn't feel like having to explain why he decided to totally ditch them.

"Mmmpphhhh." Mumbled Rukia, her mouth being covered by Ichigo's rather large hand, which was covered in a mitten made out of an extremely itchy and irritating fabric.

Completely disregarding the girl squirming next to him, Ichigo continued to listen for any remaining signs that his childhood friend may still be lingering in the area; his scouting expedition coming to a quick stop as he underwent the experience of a small fist contacting his abdomen with bone-shattering force.

"Ahh, what the hell!" Ichigo screamed, as he began to clutch at his chest, which was now in considerable pain. Someone that small shouldn't be able to hit with that much force. "What the hell was that for?"

"THAT, was for suffocating me to the point of almost fainting. I thought I was going to die" Rukia replied, perplexed by the fact that he even had to ask. '_Did he not even notice?'_

Staring back at the girl with a look of confusion, Ichigo was at a loss for words. He was suffocating her? When did that happen? '_Whoops!'_

"Uhh, yeah… Sorry about that." He stated meekly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"We should probably get out of this place." He added, attempting to change the subject, and for once actually being successful.

"C'mon, I know a shortcut."

* * *

><p>Watching the moon's reflection shimmer on the waters surface, Rukia felt a calming sensation wash over her as the pair continued to walk alongside the large river, which flowed through the center of town.<p>

As the two came upon a rather steep embankment, Ichigo suddenly veered off the path and began to head towards the rivers edge; ignoring the stairs and opting to take a much more dangerous path by jumping.

"C'mon." He yelled back, motioning with his hand for her to follow.

'_Where the hell is he going? Swimming perhaps?' _Rukia mused, almost mistaking her thoughts for truth. After all the crazy things she had seen him do, swimming in a river during the middle of winter at night ranked pretty low on the list.

Walking down the stairs conveniently located just off to the side for fear of breaking a leg if she followed after Ichigo's daring leap, Rukia joined the orange-haired idiot who was lounging on a small hill gazing up at the stars; and to her surprise, also appeared to be dry.

Lying down in the snow next to the boy who continued to watch the sky avidly, she was immediately awed by how magnificent the view was from this angle.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ichigo asked, his gaze never moving from a fixed point.

"Yeah." Rukia replied, not able to think of any other word that may adequately describe such a scene.

"Me and mom used to come here all the time and watch the stars." He continued, the nostalgia his memories brought back becoming visible in his eyes.

"You see that star right there?" He asked, while pointing up towards the sky; waiting for a nod of comprehension before continuing.

"That's the star I named after her. It's the biggest and brightest in the sky. Nothing else can compare. She named the one right next to it after me. The second biggest and brightest; never leaving the side of its superior."

"What about you and your parents? Did they ever name a star after you?"

Still gazing up at the two stars, which dominated the night sky, Rukia's expression changed to one of loneliness.

"I never knew my parents, they died after I was born." She stated sadly, refusing to meet the gaze of the boy who was now staring at her with an appearance of equal woe, as if offering a silent apology.

"If you don't want to talk about it I won't ask." Ichigo offered, not wanting to bring up anything she didn't feel comfortable talking about. He would have dropped it entirely if it weren't for one question that he suddenly found himself wanting to know the answer to.

"Don't worry about it, ask whatever you want." Rukia replied, not fazed much by the subject in question. Why should she have to hide the past.

Following her gaze, as she continued to stare off into the abyss as if it was the most interesting thing in the world, Ichigo let out a long breath; suddenly becoming nervous.

"Hey look, it's not really any of my business but… I was just wondering. If you don't have any parents then who's taking care of you? Who do you live with?" He asked, starting to feel kind of stupid for asking so many questions.

"My sister used to take care of me up until she died. After that, her husband Byakuya adopted me into his family as his sister; I live with him now." Rukia answered, purposely leaving out the details of her sister's death. Now was neither the time nor the place to recall such memories.

'_Her sister died too?' _Ichigo thought quietly, his musing on the subject quickly interrupted as she continued to speak.

"We should go soon, it's getting pretty late. Your family is probably wondering where you are, and I will not have you be the reason for me being late for your sisters amazing dinner." Rukia stated, eliminating the gloomy atmosphere with the promise of Yuzu's delicious cooking.

"Yeah, we probably should, but there's still something we need to do first." Ichigo said, a small smirk appearing on his lips as he continued his seemingly compelling act of stargazing.

"We still need to name a star after you."

'_Huh, he wants to name a star after me?' _Rukia couldn't remember the last time something so stupid had made her feel so warm inside, probably never. His idiocy just made him more fun to be around.

"Okay then _Galileo_, which one did you have in mind?" Rukia asked, making fun of his peculiar interest in celestial bodies.

Ignoring the part of her sentence involving the dead astronomer, Ichigo began to scan the horizon for a suitable star to name her after. His gaze landing on a rather large sphere of light glowing ominously amongst the blackness of space, he found himself having to look no further.

"That one." Ichigo said simply, pointing up to the chosen object with one of his hands. "I know it technically isn't a star, but it kind of suits you."

"The moon."

* * *

><p>Approaching the daunting figure of his families' front door with great caution, Ichigo feared what may be lying in wait for him on the other side. He was officially late for dinner, and lets just say it wasn't exactly the best position he has ever been in. Yuzu was really scary when she was angry; being late makes her angry.<p>

Gulping audibly as he slowly opened the entrance to his home to reveal the generously decorated interior, Ichigo was surprised by the absence of a rather short and angry little girl who should be scolding him for completely disregarding the established mealtime. '_Huh?'_

"You know, for someone who just walked into his own house, you look pretty nervous." Rukia commented, noticing the beads of sweat rolling freely along his brow. "You okay?"

"Yeah, fine. Where the hell is everyone?" Ichigo asked, half-expecting his father to burst into the room holding a megaphone and a basket full of party-favors.

"HELLO?" He yelled down the hall, shutting the door behind him so as to keep the cold air from flowing in.

The sounds of pots and pans bashing together, amongst other varied noises being heard from the kitchen, Ichigo was pleased to hear a very cheerful and bright voice respond through all the ruckus.

"Onii-chan, over here." Yuzu called, seemingly busy with other things.

Being dragged into the room by the alluring smell of a mouth-watering meal, Ichigo and Rukia where both greeted by the usual monotonous voice of Karin, who was eyeing the declared item with ravenous eyes.

"Hey Rukia-chan, feel free to throw some more food at my idiot brother for making me wait so long to eat." Karin suggested, completely serious about it.

"Karin!" Yuzu snapped, asserting the fact that there would be no such act taking place in the near future.

"Just ignore her, you're right on time. Tatsuki phoned and said you might be out for awhile so I cooked dinner a little later." She finished happily.

'_Tatsuki phoned? What a lifesaver!' _Ichigo would have to remember to thank her later. Actually, on second thought… maybe he should avoid her for a while. She had a tendency to get violent when aggravated, and he was pretty sure he had aggravated her.

"Thanks for coming to dinner Rukia-chan, I hope you like it." Yuzu cheered happily, her eyes sparkling in delight.

"Thanks for inviting me!" Rukia replied meaningfully. It was a nice feeling to have people actually want to be around her. "I'm sure I'll love whatever's been prepared; you made it after all." She finished, a warm smile appearing on her face.

Returning the heartfelt expression, Yuzu's look of happiness quickly changed to one of utter enchantment once noticing the fluffy pink friend Rukia had been dragging around for most of the day.

"Oh my god! Chappy! He's so cute!" Shrieked the small auburn-haired girl, as she began clutching onto the inanimate ball of foam that had been crudely shaped into the form of a rabbit.

"Where did you get it?" She asked, now standing a few feet back attempting to control her current joy.

"Ichigo won it for me at the theme park downtown." Rukia replied, as she recalled the memory of his dazzling performance.

"You can have it if you want. It's the least I can do to repay you for your hospitality." She offered, thinking that an eleven-year-old girl might be able to enjoy it more than she would.

"Really?" Yuzu asked excitedly, her happy grin quickly fading into a bittersweet smile. There was no way she could accept it. Onii-chan won it for Rukia.

"That's okay. Onii-chan won it for you. You should keep it." She insisted, not wanting to rob her of such a precious artifact.

"Besides, it's not like you have anything to repay us for. We want you to be here." Yuzu added, her final statement causing the two girls to smile cheerily in unison.

Looking around at the expressions of everyone in the room, Ichigo couldn't help but produce a small smile of his own. There was absolutely nothing missing from this picture. Well, except for-

"RUKIAAA-CHAAAAN!" Isshin roared, as he came flying face-first into the kitchen floor.

'_Yep, nothing missing.' _Ichigo thought idly, while dodging a strike aimed towards his head by his father, who had somehow managed to jump back onto his feet.

"You're late!" Isshin exclaimed, his face less than an inch from his sons who immediately began to pull away for fear of the close proximity.

"No, it's okay dad. I made dinner a bit later so we could eat together." Yuzu interrupted, attempting to avoid any further conflict, despite failing miserably.

"Nonsense!" Cried Isshin. "Here in the Kurosaki household, it's family tradition for dinner to be served at six O'clock sharp."

"We were just busy downtown. Tatsuki phoned and said we'd be late so it's not a big deal." Ichigo interrupted, making an effort to succeed where his sister had failed. How the hell did he deal with this nonsense daily without going insane?

"Silence! No matter what the reason, to he who disrupts this household's iron harmony, only a punishment of blood can be rendered." Howled Isshin, in a volume so loud Ichigo began to wonder how he had managed to preserve his hearing thus far throughout his life. This was probably why he was so good at ignoring people.

Taking no notice of everyone's distressed expression as they cringed at every word spoken from his mouth, Isshin continued his meaningless rant meant to instill his authority. Okay, so maybe it wasn't completely meaningless. It did have a purpose. It was just that the purpose was totally irrelevant. Just like pretty much everything else he says or does.

"Poor Rukia-chan, being dragged around after dark by my delinquent son. It should be a crime to keep such a beautiful women outside in the cold for so long." Sobbed Isshin, who was now crying openly.

"I don't mind." Rukia interjected. "Besides, I-"

"It's okay my darling." Isshin wailed, his hands latched tightly onto the girls shirt he was currently crying into.

"I'm sure you did everything you could to stop him. It's okay. You're safe now." He continued; a large foot coming into contact with his face seconds later, sending him flying back into the counter, tears and all.

"Look! We're sorry we were late. We were just having some fun and lost track of time; it won't happen again." Ichigo interrupted, becoming fed up with his father's antics. Leave it to him to take anything worth recognizing to unparalleled extremes.

Standing to his feet in order to mop up whatever dignity he had left off the floor, Isshin spoke in a rather serious voice despite sporting one of the goofiest grins Ichigo had ever seen.

"Now that that's settled, I guess it doesn't really matter if you're late as long as you were out wooing Rukia-chan." Isshin said, patting his son on the shoulder once before dashing out of the room towards the clinic.

"Towels are in the closet and the spare room is sound proof. Don't worry; I put a bed in it this morning. Have fun!" He yelled back, the sound of a door slamming shut being heard as soon as his sentence had finished.

"What the hell was that about?" Ichigo asked, hoping someone could supply him with the answer as to why his father was being so unusually unusual.

"There was an accident down the street." Karin answered, appearing to have tuned out the entire conversation. " He's really busy over there; I'm surprised he had the time to come over and say all that."

"Anyway, now that that's over with; lets eats."

The delicious-looking articles of food being placed within the center of the table, a collective 'itadakimasu' was said before everyone began to dig in.

The meal itself being fairly uneventful due to everybody's attention being directed towards the exquisite cuisine, Yuzu began to collect any empty plates still left on the table after everyone had finished.

"Hey, Rukia-chan. There's a Chappy movie on tonight; you want to watch it with me?" She asked, while piling all the dirty dishes into the sink.

"Yeah, that sounds great. Let me help you with those." Rukia offered, as she began to dry some of the dished that had already been washed. If she was going eat dinner here she might as well help clean up afterwards.

"I'm going to go bring some dinner to dad." Karin yelled, walking over towards the clinic with a small tray of food in her grasp. "He probably needs some help."

"Okay." Yuzu responded, still scrubbing vigilantly. "What about you Onni-chan; do you want to watch a movie with us?"

Sauntering over towards the stairs, Ichigo replied in a tired voice; his sentence almost unintelligible because of his tendency to yawn while speaking.

"Nah, I'm going to go have a shower." It was the only place he could think. After everything that had happened today, he got the feeling he would have to be doing a lot more of it in the near future.

Stripping down and walking into the path of warm water flowing through the shower-head, Ichigo positioned his head up against the wall of cold tile as he began to recall his conversation with Tatsuki at lunch.

_**Enter Flashback**_

_Marching out through the cafeteria doors and into the frigid air of early winter, Ichigo turned towards his childhood friend who would be his first victim in his quest for answers._

"_So are you going to tell me why that freak is sitting at our table making everyone uncomfortable?" Tatsuki asked, wondering what he was trying to accomplish by pulling such a stunt; had he not heard about her?_

"_She's not a freak; and she's sitting there because I want her to." Came Ichigo's immediate reply, spoken a little louder than originally intended._

"_Look, I know why you don't like her. So what if she doesn't want to except help from someone; it doesn't make her a bad person." He continued, pausing to let the words meaning sink in._

"_All I want to know is why everyone seems to be afraid of her." _

_Acquiring an almost ominous look to her, Tatsuki replied in a deadly calm and serious voice._

"_I guess you haven't heard after all." She said, looking down towards the ground. "They aren't afraid of _her, _they're afraid of what might happen if they're seen _talking to her_."_

_Taking a few moments to process this information, Ichigo was incapable of seeing how this could be true._

"_Why?"_

_Getting an almost aggravated look at being asked to elaborate, Tatsuki began to explain the situation._

"_You know the kid with spiky red hair; he looks really scary, Renji I think his name is. Anyway, as soon as she transferred to this school he went around threatening people, telling them to stay away from her 'or else'. Everyone who wasn't scared away by his threats I guess just thought she was some sort of stuck-up princess who thought she was too good for everyone; including me." She finished, looking up into the sky as white particles began to descend from the heavens._

"_You know, thinking about it, I almost feel sorry for her. She's been alone from the very beginning."_

_**End Flashback**_

Stepping out of the shower and into the now steam-filled room, Ichigo began to dry off, changing into some fresh clothes and re-dressing his wound after he had finished.

Walking down the stairs towards the living room, he was greatly pleased with the sight, which lay before him.

Watching his little sisters bond with Rukia as they worshiped the pink rabbit hopping around the television screen, he felt as if everything was as it should be; and he would do anything to keep it this way.

She wouldn't have to be alone anymore; neither would he.

* * *

><p><strong>(AN)**

Hope you liked it!

Please tell me what you think.

Next chapter will have more Renji and Byakuya; I promise. I keep my promises... usually.


End file.
